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Mole Poblano served in a big dark bowl with a spoon inside.
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5 from 4 votes

Mole Poblano Recipe

This mole poblano recipe is a classic Mexican mole made with a puree of chili peppers, chocolate, toasted nuts, seeds and lots of seasonings and big flavor.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Course: Main Course, sauce
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: ancho, chili sauce, dried peppers, mulato, pasilla, poblano, sauce
Servings: 64
Calories: 52kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist

Ingredients

FOR THE CHILI PUREE

  • 6 guajillo peppers
  • 6 pasilla peppers
  • 4 ancho peppers
  • 4 mulato peppers

FOR THE SPICE BLEND

  • 2 tablespoons pepper seeds reserved from the above dried chili peppers
  • 3 tablespoons sesame seeds + more for serving, if desired
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon cloves
  • ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon anise seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican cinnamon
  • 3 bay leaves crushed

ADDITIONAL MOLE INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup pork lard for frying + 2 tablespoons - or use peanut oil + more as needed
  • ½ plantain peeled and chopped
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1/3 cup almonds skin on
  • 1/3 cup peanuts
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds pepitas – best when raw
  • 2 slices white bread use bolillo or French bread
  • 2 corn tortillas stale tortillas are great here
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 large tomatoes roasted and peeled about 1 pound
  • 3.5 ounces Mexican chocolate 100 grams
  • 6 cups chicken broth or chicken stock + more as needed
  • Salt to taste
  • Optional: Sugar for a sweeter mole sauce

Instructions

MAKE THE CHILI PUREE

  • Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilies. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the seeds and set aside. Cut the peppers into flat pieces.
  • Heat a large pan to medium heat and dry toast the chili pepper pieces for 1-2 minutes per side, until they darken and release some of their oils. They might puff up a bit.
  • Transfer the toasted peppers to a large bowl and cover with very hot water. Soak for 20-30 minutes, or until very softened.
  • Strain the softened peppers and reserve the soaking liquid.
  • Transfer the peppers to a food processor with ½ cup of the soaking liquid and puree until very smooth. Add more soaking liquid if needed.
  • Strain the pepper puree into another bowl and set aside. Discard the solids and any additional soaking liquid. Set the chili puree aside for now.

FOR THE SEASONINGS

  • Heat a pan to medium heat. Add the reserved pepper seeds, sesame seeds, peppercorns, cloves, coriander seeds, and anise seeds. Dry toast for 1-2 minutes, until they become fragrant. Do not burn.
  • Transfer to a spice grinder or food processor along with the dried thyme, cinnamon and bay leaves. Process until you have a uniform spice mix. Set aside.

FOR THE FRIED ELEMENTS

  • Heat ½ cup pork lard or oil in a large pan until melted and hot. Add the plantain and cook for 2 minutes, until they begin to soften.
  • Add the raisins and cook another minute, until they start to soften.
  • Add the almonds, peanuts, and pumpkin seeds. Stir and cook another 1-2 minutes, stirring.
  • Transfer mixture onto paper towels to drain. Reserve the oil and set the pan back onto the heat.
  • Tear the bread and tortillas into pieces and fry them until they become crispy and brown, turning here and there, about 2 minutes.
  • Transfer the fried bread and tortillas to a food processor along with the drained raisins, almonds, peanuts and pumpkin seeds.

PAN ELEMENTS

  • Heat the same pan back to medium heat. Add more lard or oil if needed. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until it softens up.
  • Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
  • Transfer the onion and garlic to the food processor along with the nuts and bread mixture.
  • To the food processor, add the roasted tomatoes and reserved spice mix.
  • Add 2 cups chicken stock and puree until nice and smooth. If needed, add a bit more chicken stock to ensure a very smooth mixture.
  • Strain this mole flavoring mixture into a second bowl and set aside for now. Discard any solids. NOTE: You may want to do multiple rounds of straining, then reprocess the solids with a bit more chicken stock to get the most out of the solids.

MAKE THE MOLE

  • Heat 2 tablespoons lard or peanut oil in a large pot. Add the reserved chili puree and cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens up and coats the back of a spoon.
  • Add the contents of the second bowl (the pureed and strained mole flavoring mixture), along with the chocolate, remaining 4 cups chicken stock and salt to taste.
  • Stir until the chocolate is melted through, then simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors develop. Add more chicken stock if you’d like a thinner mole.
  • Taste and adjust for salt. If you’d like a sweeter mole, stir in 1 tablespoon sugar and simmer. Taste and adjust as desired.

Notes

Makes about 2 quarts. Calories estimates with 1/4 cup serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 464IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg