Mole (Mo-lay) Sauce

Submitted by ciao4293

"This is my version of mole sauce. It can hold its own against the mole at our great local Mexican restaurant. I usually double this recipe, but that's just me. The original recipe calls for 5 TBSP(yes, 5)of chili powder. I cut it in half, but you can take it from there. And don't judge the taste until you add the chocolate. It's just not done until you finish this step! Serve it over good chicken, over enchiladas,or burritos. I think it is good with lots of things. I served it the other night over leftovers from canarygirl's Chicken Verde, and it was superb!(Her recipe stands on its own as a great dish, I just enhanced my leftovers! Thanks, canarygirl!)"

 

• Ready In: 53mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 3 cups

ingredients

• 4 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1⁄2 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I usually use Hershey Special Dark, it has a sweetness that mellows the sauce)

directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over med.
2. low heat.
3. Add onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon.
4. Cover and cook until onion is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
5. Mix in chili powder and flour, stir for 3 minutes.
6. Gradually whisk in chicken broth.
7. Increase heat to med. high.
8. Boil until reduced, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Remove from heat.
10. Whisk in chocolate; season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Reviews

[Bauline Baker]

This sauce is to die for! I made it with about a tbsp. of cocoa powder instead of the chocolate and I cooked chicken breast in it. Served with rice and peas it is a beautiful meal. I will definitely make it again.

 

[canarygirl]

This was my first experience making Mole sauce, and I must say that it turned out pretty well! I think the chocolate flavor was just a bit strong, so I would reduce that next time, but other than that I loved it! I served it in pork wraps with guacamole, cheese and sour cream. Thanks L! :)

 

[Gordon S.]

Way too much chocolate! There are only a couple of versions of Mole sauces that use any chocolate at all: Mole Negro, Mole Poblano, and Mole Coloradito, and none use this much chocolate for such a small batch. Typically, they use the same amount of chocolate as used here (2 oz), but to make a gallon or more of sauce, not a mere 3 cups. Mole is NOT chocolate sauce, the chocolate simply adds aroma and a little sweetness. People erroneously call it "Chocolate Sauce" due to a lack of knowledge of the recipe. They see the dark colour and get a faint whiff of chocolate and call it "chocolate sauce", not understanding that the dark colour comes not from the tiny bit of chocolate added to the sauce at the last minute, but from the dark purple Gajillo peppers used in the actual preparation of the sauce. Four out of the seven typical versions of Mole: Mole Manchamantel, Mole Amarillo, Mole Verde, and Mole Chichilo, use no chocolate whatsoever. Where are the Gajillo, Ancho, and Chipotle chilies? Just chili powder? Honestly, I can't imagine any Mexican restaurant using a sauce even remotely similar to this.This review is based upon training at the C.I.A. in NY., and 24 years as a Sous Chef and a Head Chef.

 

[gimpysmagic]

Like the flavor overall and smells fantastic. Bottom line its to sweet. If you like sweet chili you would be fine with this. I never thought I would like mole sauce and have had several that I liked. Its hard for me to wrap my head around putting chocolate sauce on savory food. The moles I like are not sweet. Going to give this another try with unsweet chocolate. By the way my secret for great chili includes unsweet chocolate.

 

[Donut Chef]

Excellent. It's not absolutely perfect, but the taste is right. I used cocoa (almost 2 Tb) and put it through the blender when it was done cooking. I should have cooked it down further than I did, and used less salt, but it is very good and I think I will cook some chicken in the leftovers.