Tacos are amazing, but when it comes to the best and most iconic dishes in Mexican gastronomy, no dish better represents the country’s cuisine than mole poblano. It’s the national dish of Mexico and the pride of every local in Puebla.
We’ve enjoyed our fair share of mole poblano in Puebla. However, eating it and learning how to make the dish yourself are two completely different things. We wanted to know exactly what went into making this rich, dark, and mysterious mole sauce so we asked Elisa Ramirez and Chef Alonso Hernandez of Casa Mexicana to share their mole recipe with us.
Chef Alonso is a renowned local chef who offers a popular cooking class in Puebla. If you can’t visit Puebla just yet to take his cooking class, then this easy but authentic mole poblano recipe is the next best thing.
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WHAT IS MOLE POBLANO?
Like chiles en nogada, mole poblano is a signature dish of Puebla and a Mexican national dish.
The term mole is derived from the Nahuatl word mōlli, which means “sauce”. Throughout Mexico, you’ll find hundreds of different mole recipes but the most famous is mole poblano. It’s such a well-known and celebrated dish that when people say “mole”, they’re usually referring to mole poblano.
A culinary symbol of Mexico’s mestizaje, a common legend claims that mole poblano was invented by nuns at the Santa Rosa Convent during the early colonial period. When they heard that the Archbishop was coming for an unexpected visit, they panicked and prepared a dish using whatever ingredients were available. Being poor, all they had was an old turkey, chili peppers, chocolate, nuts, spices, and old bread. To their relief, the Archbishop enjoyed the dish and the rest is history.
The recipe for mole poblano has evolved over time and now consists of over twenty different ingredients. Recipes vary but among the most important are chocolate, mulato chiles, coriander seeds, and cloves. Because of its color, many non-Mexicans think chocolate is the dominant ingredient but mole sauce actually gets most of its color and flavor from mulato chili peppers.
Because of its many ingredients, mole poblano has a reputation for being difficult and time-consuming to make. I had dinner with a local in Oaxaca and according to him, some moles – when made in the traditional way – can take up to four days to properly prepare! Chef Alonso’s recipe greatly speeds up the process by using a blender.
When ready, the mole sauce is traditionally poured over turkey but today, it’s more common to find it served with chicken or pork. It’s usually sprinkled with sesame seeds and served with a side of Mexican rice and corn tortillas.
RELATED ARTICLE: Discover 10 Restaurants With the Best Mole in Puebla, Mexico
Authentic Mole Poblano Recipe
A recipe for authentic mole poblano developed by Elisa Ramirez and Chef Alonso Hernandez of Casa Mexicana in Puebla, Mexico
Ingredients
- 3 mulato chili peppers
- 3 ancho chili peppers
- 3 pasilla chili peppers
- 3 Tbsps vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 6 tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 10 coriander seeds
- 3 cloves
- 6 pcs cookies (Maria or animal crackers)
- 6 raisins
- 1 plantain
- 1 pc bread
- 2 corn tortillas
- 1/2 stick cinnamon
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 pinch oregano
- 1.5 L chicken broth
- 1 pc Mexican chocolate (Abuelita or Ibarra)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 kg chicken breast, turkey, or cheese
- 100 g sesame seeds (for garnish)
Instructions
- Roast the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves on a comal or grill until they soften and turn medium brown. Set aside.
- Fry the chili peppers until they change color and then set aside. Be careful not to over-fry the chili peppers to avoid a bitter flavor in the sauce.
- Use the same oil and lightly fry the following ingredients one at a time – coriander seeds, cloves, cookies, and raisins. Cut the plantain into segments and fry until golden brown. Fry the piece of bread. Set aside.
- Burn the corn tortillas until they're completely charred on both sides.
- Take all the ingredients from steps 1-4 and simmer them in a pot with chicken broth and spices (cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano) over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. The idea is to soften all the ingredients.
- Using a blender, grind all the softened ingredients in two or three batches in the same broth or water until they become a thick sauce. Set aside.
- Preheat a little vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat and gently add the sauce.
- Chop the Mexican chocolate and add it to the sauce. Add sugar and salt.
- Mix evenly and cook for approximately 25-30 minutes over a low flame.
- Serve the mole sauce over the cooked chicken (boiled) or turkey, or on enchiladas stuffed with cheese. Garnish with lightly toasted sesame seeds on top. You can serve the mole with white rice and smashed black beans on the side.
Notes
This recipe for authentic mole poblano was developed by Elisa Ramirez and Chef Alonso Hernandez of Casa Mexicana in Puebla, Mexico.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
We haven’t had the pleasure of taking Chef Alonso’s cooking class but we will as soon as we can. Until then, here are a few pictures from a different cooking class that we took in Puebla a few years ago.
A plate of pasilla peppers, one of three Mexican chiles that go into a traditional mole poblano recipe. The other two are ancho and mulato chiles.
Stale corn tortillas to help thicken the mole sauce.
Coriander seeds, one of the most important spices in an authentic mole poblano recipe.
Chopping up all the ingredients
Deseeding the chili peppers. As described, much of mole poblano’s color and flavor comes from mulato chili peppers.
This was the most challenging step in the process – grinding all the chili peppers by hand using a molinillo or wooden grinder. As you can see from the strain in her face, neck, and hands, it wasn’t easy!
Our cooking instructor did have a blender but I think she wanted us to experience what it was like doing it the old-fashioned way. We have so much respect for Mexican cooks who still do it this way.
Frying some bread to help thicken and give body to the mole sauce.
A still moment between grinding
Stirring the ingredients as the sauce cooks…
…and voila! Authentic mole poblano sauce. ¡Provecho!
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