From mole powder to a sauce
Dry mole is not a sauce mix you tip into liquid. It goes through a paste on the way, and the pan does the work in two stages rather than one.
Sauce pan
Mole Oaxaqueno
Dry mole blend: chiles, cacao, sesame
4.1 from 14 ratingsFrom $24.99Price shown at our last check and set by the store, not by us.
Toasting chiles and grinding sesame by hand takes most of an afternoon. We do the roasting and mill everything dry into the pouch. Stir the powder with a little liquid first to make a paste, then thin it with hot broth over low heat. The sauce turns thick, dark and glossy in the pan. Spoon it hot over shredded chicken, rice or a stack of warm tortillas.
Simmering in a wide pot on Sunday afternoon when a crowd fills the kitchen.
One pouch
500 g
A serving here is a weight, not a glass. We divide the pouch by the number of servings printed on it, so the grams add up whatever size cup you drink from.
What goes into it
In the dry blend
We toast three kinds of chile on the comal, then grind them alongside native Mexican cacao, dried tortilla, sesame seeds and warm spices. Nothing else goes in. The powder smells like roasted seeds and chocolate the second you open the pouch.
How it simmers
Work the powder into a smooth paste with warm broth before filling the pot. Keep the flame low and stir often because the chiles and cacao can catch on the bottom. It thickens fast as the steam rises.
What happens when cold
Leftover mole stiffens into a firm paste inside the fridge. That is expected. Warm it gently in a pan with a splash of fresh broth or water and the sauce loosens back to its original gloss in minutes.
At the table
This is the dark mole we pour over braised chicken and rice when the whole family gathers. It ladles over fried tortillas for quick enmoladas or sits in a warm bowl next to a batch of fresh tamales.
Before you open it
The pages that carry the ratios and the timings for this one.
Made the same way
Loosened into broth until the surface shines.
Sauce pan
Mole Poblano
A dry mole mix built on toasted tortilla, three chiles and Mexican cacao that simmers into a rich Puebla sauce.
5.0 from 6 ratings
1 kg
Mole Oaxaqueno
A dry mole mix of three chiles, cacao and toasted tortilla, ready to stir into hot broth and simmer down.