Mole Negro

Name: Mole Negro (Black Mole)
Yield: Makes about 14 cups
Cuisine: Mexico
Ingredients: ⅛ teaspoon black peppercorns; ¼ teaspoon allspice berries; 3 whole cloves; ¼ cup (9 g) dried oregano; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon plus 3 teaspoons sea salt; 2/3 cup (100 g) sesame seeds; 1¾ ounces (50 g) pasilla chiles, stems removed; 3½ ounces (100 g) chilhuacle negro chiles, seeds and stems removed (can be substituted with cascabel chiles); 3½ ounces (100 g) ancho mulato chiles, seeds and stems removed; 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable oil; 2¾ ounces (75 g) fresh pineapple, core removed; 1 cup (125 g) cubed apples, unpeeled; 6 ounces (170 g) ripe plantains, peeled and chopped into 2-inch (5 cm) rounds; 1¾ ounces (50 g) María Mexican cookies (can be substituted with animal crackers); ¾ cup (100 g) almonds; 6 (30 g) garlic cloves, peeled; ½ cup (240 ml) vegetable oil, plus ½ cup (120 ml) to fry the mole paste; 4½ cups (1 l) chicken stock; 7 ounces (200 g) Oaxacan chocolate, finely chopped; ½ cup (100 g) sugar; 2 dried avocado leaves; 2⅓ cups (400 g) chopped tomatoes; 1 (3-inch/7.5 cm) cinnamon stick, freshly ground (2 teaspoons if using ground); 1 onion (160 g), chopped

Black Mole

Preparation info

Makes about
14 cups

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Oaxaca

By Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral

Published 2019

About

The secret of this mole is in the deep level of toasting and frying of the ingredients. That’s how it gets its haunting pitch-black hue and really complex flavor profiles. I’m not saying to burn the ingredients all the way, but get as close as you can without burning it all.

Ingredients

For the Chiles

1 cup (240 ml) vegetable oil
3½ ounces (100

Americas
Mexico
Oaxacan
Sauce
Oaxaca
Central America

Method

In the largest skillet you have over medium heat, add 1 cup of oil for the chiles.

When hot, add the chiles and fry until all the chiles are deeply toasted and crispy, almost burnt. Make sure to keep gently stirring the chiles. This should take 5 to 7 minutes. You may need to do it in batches.

Turn off heat and reserve oil.

Remove the chiles from the oil and put in a col