Mole Poblano - the ubiquitous Mexican dish everyone needs to know!
move over hard-shell tacos! this is what Mexican cuisine's all about!
Back in culinary school days, I had an (almost) obsessive phase of making Mexican food. The techniques & complexed flavours represented in the cuisine felt close to home and bears a striking resemblance to cuisines of the Malay Archipelago, especially through their extensive use of chillies. Indigenous Mexican cooking often uses the molcajete as a medium of making their wide array of salsas while in Malay/Indonesian cuisine, we use granite pestle and mortar or ‘Batu Lesung’ to make piquant sambals.
A Central Mexican dish that I had the chance of learning to make in school was the humble ‘mole’, meaning ‘sauce’ (as is the ‘mole’ in the popular condiment of ‘guacamole’). My team and I were assigned to recreate a ‘Mole Poblano’, originating from the state of Puebla. While the ingredients are complex, it showcases the abundance of produce of the region while highlighting indigenous ingredients like chocolate which was a prized ingredient in pre-colonial Mexico.
In this recipe, every method and ingredient possesses specific roles - the toasted dried chillies lend spicy and smoky notes, the nuts & seeds give body and richness to the sauce and the plantains, biscuits and tortilla gives the mole a thick viscosity.
Don’t be afraid to try this at home - while it might be daunting to make, the outcome is rewarding. Pair it with Mexican rice, plain rice or even wheat/corn tortillas.
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Mexican Mole Poblano
(serves 6)
6 chicken legs, bone in
3 ancho chilies, deseeded
4 guajillo chillies, deseeded
2 tbsp butter
2 bay leaves
6 tbsp oil
200g plantain, cut 2 inch thick
500ml water
1 chicken stock cube
300g dark chocolate, chopped (at least 60% cocoa)
1 tbsp sugar
Salt, to taste
(A)
1 yellow onion, halved
3 roma tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, peeled
(B)
50g pumpkin seeds
100g walnuts
100g almonds
80g cashews
1 tbsp sesame seeds
(C)
1 stick cinnamon, toasted
5 cloves, toasted
2 tsp black peppercorn, toasted
1 tbsp cumin, toasted
150g chipotle adobo
2 corn tortillas
5pcs wheat biscuits
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Accompaniments:
3 mini red radishes, sliced
6 lime wedges
6 servings Mexican Rice (arroz Mexicano)
6 toasted corn tortillas / flour tortillas
1 avocado, sliced
A handful of chopped coriander
directions:
preparation of mole paste
In a hot pan (preferably cast iron) on medium heat, add (B) and toast the ingredients until lightly browned and toasty. Transfer to a plate and let them cool.
Toast the ancho & guajillo chiles on a pan until you get a smoky, toasty aroma, without burning the chiles. Transfer to a bowl and cover with just enough boiling water to submerge the chillies. Cover and soak for 1 hour.
Then, lightly char (A) without oil, making sure to get a nice charring onto all sides. . Once it is well-charred, take it off the pan and set aside.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan on medium heat and fry the plantain slices until golden brown.
Combine (A), (B), the soaked chillies + water, fried plantains and (C) into a blender. Purée everything until VERY smooth.
Cooking the chicken
In a pot, heat another 3 tbsp oil. Season the chicken leg with salt and pepper and sear the legs until it gets a nice browning. Remove from pan and place on a rack in the oven. Continue to roast the chicken at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes our until fully cooked through.
Finishing the mole sauce
In the same pan, melt the butter and add bay leaves.
Add the purée into the pan with 500ml water and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil and add stock cube. Lower heat and let it simmer, covered, for 30 minutes while occasionally stirring.
Pass the sauce through a sieve, making sure to press on to the sieve with the back of a spoon to get every drop. Discard the solids and return the sauce into the pot on low heat.
Combine the chocolate and let it melt slowly while stirring constantly. Season the sauce with sugar and salt, to taste and adjust consistency with water, if needed. The sauce should be viscous and coat the back of the spatula steadily.
Spoon the sauce onto the cooked chicken and sprinkle sesame seeds. Serve alongside Mexican rice/ plain rice, sliced radish, lime, fresh avocado and garnish with coriander leaves.
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