Recipe Oaxacan Mole Negro

CraigC

Guru
Joined
1 Dec 2017
Local time
1:30 PM
Messages
4,394
Location
SE Florida
This recipe only has 27 ingredients!:eek: Recipe courtesy of Chile Pepper Magazine.

Ingredients
1 Whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
6 Cups chicken stock/broth
5 Ancho Chilis, seeds removed and reserved
5 Guajillo chilis, seeds removed and reserved
4 Pasilla chilis, seeds removed and reserved
4 Mulatto chilis, seeds removed and reserved
2 Chipotle (dried) chilis, seeds removed and reserved
1 Medium white onion, peeled and quartered
6 Garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp almonds
2 Tbsp peanuts
2-4 Tbsp lard
2 tsp raisins
1 slice bread, preferably Challah or egg bread preferably
1 small ripe plantain or banana
1/2 Cup sesame seeds
2 Pecan halves
1 inch cinnamon stick, Mexican preferred
2 Pepper corns
2 Cloves
2 Medium tomatoes, chopped
5 Fresh tomatillos, chopped
1/2 tsp Dried oregano, Mexican preferred
1/2 tsp dried thyme
! Avocado leaf or bay leaf
1 Bar Mexican chocolate (Ibarra preferred) or to taste
Salt to taste
Tortillas for serving

Directions
1) Simmer chicken in broth until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken and keep warm, reserving broth.
2) In a skillet or comal, toast chillis until darkened, but not burnt. Place chilis in a bowl and cover with hot water to soak for 30 minutes. Transfer chilis to a blender or food processor and puree, adding some of the soaking liquid if needed to form a paste.
3) In the same skillet, saute the onions and garlic until lightly browned. Set aside. Lightly toast the almonds and peanuts, then set aside. Carefully toast the chili seeds and set aside.
4) Warm 2 Tbsp lard in skillet and fry raisins until plump. Set raisins aside on paper towels. Fry the bread until browned and set aside on paper towels. Repeat with plantains, adding more lard if needed. Reduce heat and fry sesame seeds stirring often, remove and drain on paper towels. Brown the pecans and set aside on paper towels.
5) Lightly toast the cinnamon stick, pepper corns and cloves in a dry pan. Cool and grind.
6) In a blender or food processor, puree the almonds, peanuts, pecans, chili seeds, bread and sesame seeds in small batches. Set aside. Puree onions, garlic and plantains and set aside. Finally puree the tomatoes and tomatillos.
7) In a heavy pot, warm the remaining lard and fry the chili paste, stirring constantly. When “dry” , add the tomato puree and cook until liquid evaporates. Add the ground spices, add the nut-bread mixture, pureed onion mixture, oregano and thyme.
8) Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly and add the chocolate. Toast avocado leaf for a second in dry pan or over an open flame and add. Slowly add some of the reserved chicken stock until the sauce is just thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes, return chicken to the mole and warm through.
9) Serve chicken with plenty of sauce and warm tortillas.
 
Last edited:

Never heard that word before.

I like the idea of the bread in this sauce. There is a complex mix of flavours here: fruit, nuts, chillies, chocolate. Its impossible to imagine the result from reading the recipe. Usually, I can...
 
A comal is a cast iron cooking surface commonly used in Mexico and other central American countries. The only "hot" chili used is the chipotle. However the seeds probably add too the heat level. We'll see if Karen likes this recipe better than the one I made before.
 
A comal is a cast iron cooking surface commonly used in Mexico and other central American countries. The only "hot" chili used is the chipotle. However the seeds probably add too the heat level. We'll see if Karen likes this recipe better than the one I made before.
When are you making it?
 
Wow!! Looks like a boatload of ingredients!! :eek:

If the results justify the means! If we like this mole, I can make large batches and freeze like I do with homemade Thai curry paste. Oaxaca has 7 main moles. The Negro is probably the best known.
 
Carefully toast the chili seeds and set aside.
I was going to question the reasoning for trying to separate the seeds from these dried peppers, which isn't an easy task (since these peppers tend to flatten out when they're dried). I like the idea of toasting the seeds - which would be worth the effort spent separating them - but, now I want to know when you're supposed to use them. The recipe doesn't mention them after this step. Maybe they should be ground up in step 6?

796.png
 
I ended up not using the chili seeds and I put the sauce back in the blender to make it smooth. Definitely worth the time and effort, plus there is plenty left to freeze for a couple more meals.

36788-albums322-picture8044.jpg
 
That sauce looks fabulous and home-made tortillas too. I wasn't quite expecting the chicken to be shredded from reading the recipe. But what do I know? I'm certainly no expert with mole
 
Back
Top Bottom