Isthmian Red Mole

Name: Isthmian Red Mole (Mole Rojo del Istmo)
Yield: 2½ to 3 cups
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste; 3 tablespoons lard (preferably home-rendered) or vegetable oil; 1½ teaspoons sugar; 1½ cups homemade pork or chicken stock; 2 bay leaves; 8 whole cloves, or ¼ teaspoon ground; ½ teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano; 1 small onion, peeled and quartered; 1 large ripe tomato; ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns; One 1-inch piece canela; 6 large pasilla or 4 large ancho chiles, tops and seeds removed; 6 large unpeeled garlic cloves; 1 small day-old French roll (about 4 ounces), sliced, or 1 thick slice day-old challah or brioche

Mole Rojo del Istmo

Preparation info

2½ to 3 cups

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Food and Life of Oaxaca

By Zarela Martínez

Published 1997

About

Like Amarillo, Mole Rojo belongs to the lighter, simpler end of the seven-moles spectrum. This version from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is one of my favorites for easy preparation and versatile uses. Like all moles, it goes perfectly with pork or chicken and is a great sauce for enchiladas. (See Enchiladas Zapotecas del Istmo.)

Mole Rojo as I’ve encountered it in Oaxaca has usually been on the sweet side, typically enriched with r

Ingredients

Americas
Mexico
Sauce
Oaxaca

Ingredients

Method