Mole Dulce

Mole Dulce is a delicious labor of love made completely from scratch with Mexican chocolate, dried ancho chiles, piloncillo, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, and more.

Mole is one of those traditional Mexican dishes in which no two recipes are alike. Every family has their own recipe on how to make each kind of mole. Yes, there are several types of mole that range from spicy to sweet, and also vary in color from Mole Amarillo to Mole Negro. One of my favorite moles, and also the first kind of mole I learned to make, is Mole Dulce. It's a sweet, velvety smooth sauce made with Mexican chocolate and a variety of ingredients.

This recipe is a great starting point for those who have never made mole from scratch. Depending on my mood I sometimes add more ingredients like raisins, almonds, peanuts, or coffee, to add even more flavor to my Mole Dulce. I cook the chicken and make the broth from scratch to use in my Mole Dulce, but you can use canned chicken stock and a rotiserrie chicken to save time in la cocina. See tip below for directions on how to cook the chicken and make homemade stock from scratch.

Yield: 6 to 8 servingsAuthor: Leslie Limón

Mole Dulce

prep time: 15 MINScook time: 75 MINStotal time: 90 mins

Mole Dulce is a delicious labor of love made completely from scratch with Mexican chocolate, dried ancho chiles, piloncillo, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, and more.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (for frying) 
• 1 bolillo roll, cut in 1-inch slices
• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 3 roma tomatoes, cut in quarters
• 6 tomatillos, husks removed
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 1 (3-inch cinnamon stick)
• 5 peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 tablet Mexican chocolate (Ibarra or Abuelita brand)
• 5 cups hot chicken broth
• 1/3 cup piloncillo, grated
• 3 lbs. cooked chicken
• Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Fry the bolillo slices in the oil until golden brown. Transfer fried bolillo slices to a large heat-proof bowl; set aside.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to Dutch oven, if necessary. Fry the dried ancho chiles for 1 to 2 minutes, until the chiles start to plump up. Transfer chiles to heat-proof bowl with the bolillo slices.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the Dutch oven, if necessary. Fry the tomatoes and tomatillos until lightly charred and cooked through. Fry the garlic until light golden brown. Transfer to the heatproof bowl with the bolillo slices and ancho chiles.
4. Toast the pumpkin seeds, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and whole cloves for about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Transfer to heat-proof bowl with the other ingredients.
5. Add the Mexican chocolate to the bowl with all of the fried ingredients. Pour in 4 cups of the hot chicken broth. Let soak for at least 10 minutes until the chiles have softened; remove stems from chiles.
6. Working in batches, puree the bolillo slices, ancho chiles, tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves, and Mexican chocolate with the chicken broth they were soaked in until smooth.
7. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in the Ductch oven over low heat. Strain the puree into the hot oil, stirring with a wire whisk to prevent lumps from forming.
8. Stir in the the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth and the grated piloncillo. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the piloncillo has completely dissolved. Adjust seasoning, if necessary.
9. Once mole sauce starts to boil, add the cooked chicken pieces and let simmer over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes until heated through. When serving, garnish mole with toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with Mexican Rice and warm corn tortillas. Buen provecho!

http://www.lacocinadeleslie.com/2009/05/mole-dulce.html

La Cocina de Leslie

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*To cook the chicken and broth from scratch, bring 3lbs. of bone-in skin-on chicken pieces to a boil with 16 cups of water, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 bay leaves, a handful of fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon crushed oregano. Skim off any foam that rises to the top. Cover and reduce heat to low; let simmer for 60 to 90 minutes until chicken is tender.