Mole paste is a staple of Mexican cuisine, used to craft rich and flavorful mole sauces that elevate various dishes with its distinctive color and taste. Made from a blend of roasted chiles, nuts, seeds, and spices, mole paste is a versatile ingredient that adds complexity to soups, stews, enchiladas, and tamales. Whether you're a seasoned cook or just starting your culinary journey, crafting your own mole paste at home allows for endless customization possibilities, enabling you to create the perfect balance of flavors tailored to your palate. With careful selection of ingredients and a bit of technique, you can make an exquisite mole paste that will transform your dishes into culinary masterpieces.
Here are our top 2 tried and tested recipes!
AUTHENTIC MOLE SAUCE
Hot chiles and rich chocolate make this authentic mole sauce perfect for topping stewed meats or enchiladas.
Provided by Allrecipes
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Sauce Recipes Mole Sauce Recipes
Time 1h
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Toast guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and chipotle chiles in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until warm and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the blender with chicken broth.
- Heat 2 cups chicken broth in a saucepan until it begins to simmer, about 5 minutes. Pour broth into a blender.
- Toast dinner roll pieces and tortilla strips in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the blender with chicken broth and chiles
- Allow the chiles and toasted bread and tortillas to soak, fully submerged, in the chicken broth until softened, about 10 minutes. Blend the mixture until smooth.
- Cook tomatoes and tomatillos in a dry skillet on medium-high heat until soft and blackened, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place tomatoes in the blender with the chile puree.
- Melt lard in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic, peanuts, raisins, cumin seeds, thyme, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice berries; cook and stir until onions are soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and other whole spices; add onion mixture to the blender with the chile-tomato mixture and blend until smooth.
- Pour chile puree into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in chocolate chicken broth, sugar, and salt. Bring mixture to a simmer; stir until chocolate is melted and sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, 10 to 15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 506.8 calories, Carbohydrate 74.9 g, Cholesterol 7.1 mg, Fat 23.3 g, Fiber 11.3 g, Protein 11 g, SaturatedFat 8.8 g, Sodium 1372.7 mg, Sugar 42.5 g
MOLE PASTE (USED FOR MAKING MOLE SAUCE)
Adapted from Emeril's recipe, on FoodNetwork,Tequila Marinated Chicken in Mole Sauce, the first step in creating Mole Sauce is to make this paste, which yields 3 1/2 cups. The paste is then further combined with additional chocolate and chicken stock to make an exquisitely complex Mole Sauce to serve with roasted chicken, turkey, pork, fish, Emeril's Tequila Marinated Chicken or in enchiladas. Garnish with the usual in Mexican cuisine, diced avocado, corn tortillas, cilantro, and pickled onion. Since only about a cup is used at a time, the remainder freezes well for use at a later time. I will try this with duck and/or rabbit and get back with you on this one.
Provided by French Terrine
Categories Sauces
Time 2h
Yield 3 1/2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Preheat broiler and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Broil garlic cloves, tomatoes and onions. Remove garlic cloves after they have softened, about 10-12 minutes and continue broiling the tomatoes and onions until slightly caramelized.
- Heat a large skillet and toast the chilies until just browned and fragrant, being careful not to burn. Place toasted chili pods in a large glass bowl and cover with hot water, allowing to soften.
- In same skillet toast reserved seeds from chilies and sesame seeds, then transfer to a separate bowl.
- With skillet still hot, toast the cloves, peppercorns, oregano, thyme, and cinnamon stick a few seconds until fragrant. Then add to bowl with toasted sesame and chili seeds.
- Once garlic cloves have cooled, peel them and combine in blender with the tomatoes and onions, rehydrated chili pods (do not add in the rehydrating liquid), the toasted seeds and toasted spices, along with the nuts, raisins, and about 1 cup of chicken stock. Puree until smooth and thick, scraping down the sides. (After first trying a food processor, we were able to get a smoother puree using a Ninja style blender).
- In a large deep pot, heat the cooking oil (I used peanut oil). Once hot, add in the pureed mixture, being careful to avoid splatter burns. Once mixture has come to a boil, lower heat, bring to a simmer and then add 3 1/2 ounces chocolate to the pot.
- Allow to simmer, stirring frequently, for about an hour until a deeply rich reddish brown shimmer has developed. (I love watching Rick Bayless on the Create Network cook this over an open fire in a large cazuela).
- Use about a cup of this paste to make your Mole Sauce. Freeze the remainder away in 1 cup containers for a later use.
- *********************************************************************.
- To make Mole Sauce, heat about 1 tablespoon oil in large deep sauce pan.
- Add pureed fire-roasted tomatoes and saute a few minutes.
- Add 1 cup of Mole Paste.
- Stir in remaining 1 cup chicken stock, bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer.
- Add in 1/2 oz of chopped chocolate. Continue to simmer and add additional stock if necessary, until a suitable consistency, then keep warm until ready to serve.
- Enjoy with grilled/roasted chicken, turkey, pork, variations with fish, or use to make enchiladas. Delicious with grilled chicken but my goal is to make this with rabbit and/or duck.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 787.7, Fat 45.7, SaturatedFat 8.2, Cholesterol 4.1, Sodium 535.4, Carbohydrate 89.9, Fiber 21.1, Sugar 39.1, Protein 21.8
Tips:
- Toast the chiles before blending them to enhance their flavor and reduce their bitterness.
- Use a variety of chiles to create a complex and flavorful mole sauce. Some popular choices include ancho, guajillo, pasilla, and chipotle chiles.
- Be careful not to over-roast the chiles, as this can make them bitter.
- Soak the chiles in hot water until they are softened before blending them.
- Use a high-powered blender to ensure that the mole paste is smooth and creamy.
- Add a little bit of chocolate to the mole paste to give it a rich and complex flavor.
- Use the mole paste to make a variety of Mexican dishes, such as enchiladas, tamales, and tacos.
Conclusion:
Mole paste is a versatile and flavorful ingredient that can be used to make a variety of delicious Mexican dishes. With a little bit of planning and effort, you can easily make your own mole paste at home. So next time you're looking for a new and exciting way to add flavor to your meals, give mole paste a try. You won't be disappointed!
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