Growing up in a strict Jehovah’s witness, we didn’t celebrate much the holidays. This meant that we didn’t get birthdays, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas celebrations. However, my mom always to manage to celebrate our achievements; every time we would get good grades on our report card, or get some type of recognition, or simply when we would go from one grade to another, and you can bet for all my brothers’ and my graduation. This always meant that mom would make her delicious mole… And no one made mole better than my mother. Everyone who has tried it seems to fall in love with it. Mole is a traditional Mexican dish that is composed of different peppers, spices, and even chocolate to make a think bitter sweet thick sauce. It is usually accompanied by rice and in Michoacán it is also accompanied with tamales of maza (corn dough). Different regions from Mexico make mole different. Some regions make theirs more sweet than spicy or vice versa, and some make it either red, brown, green, or black. The story of mole dates back to the 16th century. The story starts with nuns in Puebla, Mexico that upon learning that the Archbishop was coming for a visit had nothing to cook for him, so they began to pray. That is when all of sudden they got the idea to mix different ingredients together and that is how mole was born. Some consider mole to be Mexico’s national dish.
The mole recipe can be traced back for generations in my family. I once ask my mom how did she learn to make it, her response was, “I learned it from your grandmother and she learned from her mother.” She could not exactly tell me how long it had been in our family but it had been with us for a couple generations. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to make it. I don’t have the patience nor the skill to make such a tasty. Usually the recipe was passed down amongst the women. Both my sister and my sister-in-law know how to make it and they can usually make it taste like mom’s. But like I said before nothing compares to mom’s mole!
My mom also told me that in Mexico where her and my dad are from everyone usually makes mole for big occasions. You can’t go to someone’s birthday, graduation, or wedding without there being mole served. I have been to plenty of Mexican “fiestas” and a lot of the times they serve mole. I may be wrong, but I think the reason so many people serve it at parties is because it is not too expensive to make and can feed a lot of people. It has become such a tradition in my family that when I graduate from the University of Houston this year, you can be sure I am going to ask my mom to make it for me.
So now that brings to how to prepare the mole itself. Well you better have some patience because mole can be a day long task. My mother would usually start making the night before so it could be ready for the next day. So first let us start with the ingredients:
The mole recipe can be traced back for generations in my family. I once ask my mom how did she learn to make it, her response was, “I learned it from your grandmother and she learned from her mother.” She could not exactly tell me how long it had been in our family but it had been with us for a couple generations. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to make it. I don’t have the patience nor the skill to make such a tasty. Usually the recipe was passed down amongst the women. Both my sister and my sister-in-law know how to make it and they can usually make it taste like mom’s. But like I said before nothing compares to mom’s mole!
My mom also told me that in Mexico where her and my dad are from everyone usually makes mole for big occasions. You can’t go to someone’s birthday, graduation, or wedding without there being mole served. I have been to plenty of Mexican “fiestas” and a lot of the times they serve mole. I may be wrong, but I think the reason so many people serve it at parties is because it is not too expensive to make and can feed a lot of people. It has become such a tradition in my family that when I graduate from the University of Houston this year, you can be sure I am going to ask my mom to make it for me.
So now that brings to how to prepare the mole itself. Well you better have some patience because mole can be a day long task. My mother would usually start making the night before so it could be ready for the next day. So first let us start with the ingredients:
- ½ lb. of chile ancho
- ½ lb. of chile guajillo
- 1 cup of pumpkin seeds
- 4 garlic cloves
- Pepper
- Chicken
- 1 oz. of sesame seeds
- 2 corn tortillas
- Animal crackers
- 4 roma tomatoes
- Chocolate
- Cumin
- ½ cup of peanuts
- 1 qt. of chicken stock
- Cooking spray
- Start off by placing the oven to 350 degrees.
- Tear the tops off the chili peppers and empty the seeds into a small bowl. Discard the stems and any membranes and tear the chilies into flat pieces. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer. Spray generously with cooking spray. Place them in the oven and allow to roast for 5-10 minutes or until they change color and a spicy caramel aroma floats through the kitchen. Be careful not to burn them as this will make your mole taste bitter. Once out of the oven, put them in a bowl and cover with warm water to rehydrate.
- Put the peanuts and pumpkin seeds on the baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and return to the oven until the pumpkin seeds take on a golden color. Set the pan aside and allow to cool.
- In a pan like a cast iron skillet, toast the chile seeds, sesame seeds, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper until the sesame seeds just start to change color and the whole thing smells sweet, nutty and spicy like incense.
- Put the seeds and spices, tortillas, and cracker to a food processor and process for a few minutes or until it's ground into a powder. Add the roasted almonds, pumpkin seeds and raisins and blitz until there are no chunks.
- Move the oven rack to the top position and turn the broiler on. Place the tomatillos, tomato and garlic on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler. Let the tops of the tomatillos and tomato get completely charred before flipping to char the other side. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool a bit. Add to the food processor along with 1 cup of chicken stock and blitz with the spice/seed mixture until it's smooth. Transfer this mixture to a bowl, cover and set aside.
- Return the work bowl to the food processor and add the rehydrated chili peppers.
- Then add salt and pepper. Heat the oven until hot, add a splash of oil then swirl to coat. Place the seasoned the boiled chicken in the pot and allow them to brown for 5-7 minutes without disturbing them. If you go to flip them and they're stuck to the pan they aren't ready to flip. Brown the other side then transfer to a plate.
- Turn the heat down, then pour the chili pepper puree into the pan through a single mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula to remove all the skins. Deglaze the bottom of the pan and cook until the mixture is very thick. Pour the spice/seed mixture into the pot through the strainer pressing on any solids. Add the chicken stock and chocolate then salt to taste.
- Return the chicken to the pot and simmer uncovered over medium low heat until for about an hour.
- Now it is ready to be served.