Holy mole it’s Friday! I did a little dance just then, do you see it?
I have approximately 9-10 hours and then it’s the weekend! I could not have been more excited. Seriously.
I was inspired to make my own mole last weekend, after being advised by Rebecca how simple enchilada sauce was to make (and tasty!). I did not follow a recipe so I am sure this is in no way an authentic mole but it looks and tastes like the amazing Mexican food I have enjoyed while living south of the boarder.
I used this sauce to make sweet potato black bean enchiladas (recipe to come soon) or you can try it out with my existing enchilada recipe. This mole would be a great sauce to add into rice and beans, or drizzle over nachos. You could also use it as a sauce for tofu or seitan to make vegetarian tacos or fajitas. Any way you use it, this sauce is complex. Spicy and smoky from the chipotle chiles, savory from the onions and garlic,smooth and rich from tomato base and enhanced with cinnamon and cocoa.
Chipotle Mole
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic trimmed and flattened
- 15 pepper corns
- 1/2 tsp cumin seed
- 1 container (900ml or about 4 cups) of vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
- 1/2 can (about 2 tbs)of tomato paste
- 3 heaping tablespoons of chili powder
- 1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Method
Peel and dice the onion. Peel garlic, trim the ends and flatten with the side of the knife.
In a medium sauce pan heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add peppercorns and cumin seeds and toast until the cumin starts to sizzle and pop. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are soft and start to brown.
Roughly chop chipotle chilles and add to onions along with the tomato paste and cinnamon and sautee for another 1-2 minutes. Add the entire container of the vegetable stock and all the chili powder.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then let simmer over low for about 25 minutes. The sauce will reduce to about 1/3 in volume, leaving 2/3 of the original mixture left.
Using a hand blender, or a regular blender puree the sauce until completely smooth. Return to the sauce to the pan, whisk in cocoa powder, garlic powder and sugar. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Let sauce simmer another 5- 10 minutes on low to let the flavours combine and the mixture thickens a little more. You could continue to let the sauce concentrate and reduce further but I prefer a thinner sauce for enchiladas. Enjoy!
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