Mole Coloradito Oaxaqueno
Submitted by llquinn
Authentic Oaxacan mole coloradito with toasted ancho and guajillo chilies, Mexican chocolate, fried plantain, almonds, and sesame seeds. A rich, layered sauce for chicken.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minMole coloradito is one of Oaxaca’s seven legendary moles, and this recipe holds nothing back. Toasted ancho and guajillo chilies form the red backbone, Mexican chocolate adds bittersweet depth, and a fried plantain blended with almonds, sesame seeds, raisins, and bread gives the sauce its signature velvety body.
Every element gets its own treatment before going into the pot. The dried chilies are toasted on a comal until darkened (not burnt, that’s bitter territory), then soaked and pureed. Peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon get a quick dry-toast and grind. Onion and garlic roast until spotted. The bread, plantain, raisins, sesame seeds, and almonds each get fried separately in lard. This layering of techniques is what gives mole its complexity.
When you fry the chile puree in smoking-hot lard, it splatters, so stand back and keep stirring. This frying step concentrates the chile flavor and removes the raw taste. The tomato puree, ground spices, and marjoram go in next, followed by the blended bread-plantain mixture. A bar of Ibarra or Abuelita chocolate and avocado leaves (a traditional Oaxacan touch) melt into the sauce during the final 30-minute simmer.
Chef Tips
- Toast chilies carefully. A few seconds too long turns them acrid. They should darken and blister, not blacken. Work one at a time.
- Strain the chile puree. Running it through a food mill removes all skin and seeds, producing a smoother, less bitter sauce than blending alone.
- Use Mexican chocolate, not regular. Ibarra and Abuelita contain cinnamon and sugar already, which is part of the mole’s flavor balance. Substituting dark chocolate throws the sweetness off.
Variations
- Pork mole: Use braised pork shoulder instead of chicken for a richer, fattier meat that stands up to the bold sauce.
- Vegetarian: Skip the meat entirely and serve the mole over roasted vegetables like chayote, zucchini, and potatoes.
Ingredients
Directions
After the peppers have been toasted and soaked I strain them through a foley food mill, to remove ALL of the skin and seeds.
This is a longer messier solution to grinding them in a blender but it makes a smoother, less stringent sauce.
Another method is to toast and soak the peppers and then lay them down on a cutting board and use the blade of knife, scrape the reconstituted pepper off from the skin...longer, messier, but do-able.
Simmer the chicken in stock until tender about ½ hour.
Remove the chicken and keep warm and reserve the stock.
In a large frying pan or comal, toast the chiles, turning once until darkened, but not burned.
Toast the guajillo a little longer because of their tougher skins.
Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water to soak for ½ hour to soften.
Remove the chiles and place in a blender or food processor and purée, adding a little chile water if necessary, strain.
Toast the peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon lightly in a dry pan or comal.
Cool and grind in a molcajete or spice grinder.
In the same pan, roast the onion and garlic cloves until slightly browned.
Cool and place in a food processor and purée with a little water.
Heat the lard in a pan until smoking hot, and fry the bread until lightly brown, remove and drain on paper towels.
Fry the plantain on both sides until brown, remove and drain.
Quickly fry the raisins, remove.
Lower the heat and add the sesame seeds, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes.
Then add the almonds and continue to fry until both are well Remove, drain, and combine with the bread, plantain and raisins, reserving some of the sesame seeds for garnish. Place in a food processor or blender and purée, adding a little water if necessary. Wipe out the skillet with a cloth and add 1 tablespoon lard. When it is hot, add the tomatoes and fry well. Place in a blender or food processor and purée, remove. Heat a tablespoon of lard in a cazuela or heavy pot until smoking. Add the chile purée and fry, stirring constantly, so it will not burn. It tends to splatter about, so be careful! Fry for a couple of minutes, add the tomato purée, the ground spices, and the marjoram and heat through. Stir in the bread mixture and continue to heat, stirring constantly. Add the chocolate and the avocado leaves, thin with the reserved chicken stock and continue to simmer for 30 minutes. Add the chicken, adjust the salt, and heat through. Serve with black beans, rice, and tortillas. Heat scale medium
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