Mole Rojo

Here is my version of the traditional Mexican sauce, mole rojo, using a variety of chili peppers, spices, and other ingredients. The rich, flavorful, complex sauce is a great vessel for many dishes, including enchiladas, braised meats, or on tortillas topped with a fried egg.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Pasillo chilies: Dried, dark-colored chili peppers with a rich, smoky flavor and mild to medium heat. If you can't find pasilla chilies, you can use ancho chilies instead, which have a similar flavor profile.
• Guajillo chilies: Vibrant red dried chilies with a slightly fruity flavor and a mild to moderate heat level. If guajillo chilies are not available, use New Mexico chilies.
• Anaheim chilies: Dried chilies with a mild heat level and slightly sweet flavor with a subtle earthy undertone. If you can't find Anaheim chilies, use New Mexico chilies.
• Tomatillos: Small green tangy fruits with a subtle citrusy flavor.
• Pepitas: Also known as pumpkin seeds, with a nutty flavor and crunchy texture.
• Bread: White bread is used as a thickener for the mole, but you can also use tortillas.
• Mexican chocolate: A type of chocolate made with roasted cacao beans, sugar, and cinnamon. Mexican chocolate has a distinctive flavor that is unlike regular chocolate. If you can't find this ingredient, use regular dark chocolate and add a pinch of cinnamon.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Mole Rojo

Total Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: sauce

Servings: 10

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

• ¼ cup oil divided
• 6 dried pasillo chiles
• 5 dried guajillo chiles
• 4 dried Anaheim chiles
• 3 cups hot water
• 3 medium tomatillos husked and rinsed
• 5 garlic cloves peeled
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• ½ cup roasted pepitas
• ¼ cup roasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon anise ground
• 1 slice white bread darkly toasted and broken into several pieces
• 1 ounce Mexican chocolate
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chilies, frying them in batches until puffed, about 30 seconds. Flip over the chilies and cook on the other side. Remove from heat and place the chilies in a large bowl. Cover with 3 cups hot water, placing a weight on top to keep the chiles submerged. Let sit for 30 minutes or until softened. Blend the chilies with the soaking liquid until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the stem and seeds.
• Place the tomatillos on a baking sheet. Roast until charred and softened, about 15 minutes.
• In the same pot that you fried the chilies in, fry the garlic and almonds, stirring until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
• Combine the tomatillos with the garlic, almonds, pepitas, sesame seeds, black pepper, anise, bread, chocolate, sugar, and 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepot over medium heat. Pour the strained chilies and continue to simmer until it's reduced by half, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatillo mixture and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add 4 cups chicken broth and reduce heat to low. Continue to simmer for 2 hours or until mole has thickened. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon when ready. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Notes

There are many different ways you can enjoy mole. You can use it as the sauce for enchiladas, serve it on meat, or enjoy it on tortillas topped with fried eggs as I did.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Fry chilies

Start by frying the chiles. I used a combination of dried pasilla, guajillo, and Anaheim chilies, but the combinations are endless. The chiles do fry quickly, so keep an eye on them. You know they are ready when they puff up and change color.

Remove the chilies from the oil and soak them in hot water, placing a weight on top to submerge them. After about 30 minutes, the chilies should have softened nicely.

When you are ready to blend the chilies, include the whole chile, seeds, and stems. You're going to strain the mixture, so these parts will be discarded.

Step 2: Prepare remaining ingredients

Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. Roast the tomatillos in the oven until they are soft and lightly charred. Toast the almonds and garlic in the saute pan and blend those with the tomatillos, pepitas, sesame seeds, spices, toasted white bread, and Mexican chocolate.

If you purchase raw almonds, pepitas, or sesame seeds, you will need to take an extra step and toast all of them.

Step 3: Cook sauce

Now it's time for the actual cooking. Pour the chili puree into a nonstick pot or Dutch oven and bring to a simmer. I like to use a nonstick pot because the puree is quite thick, so it can burn slightly in a metal pot if you don't consistently stir the puree.

The chiles need to be reduced and thickened for about 30 minutes. Be careful when stirring the sauce since it does pop. You know when it has reached the right consistency when you can drag your spatula through it and the sauce leaves a clear trail.

Next, add the tomatillo puree and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. The tomatillo mixture is also very thick, so it's important to keep stirring while it simmers.

Add the chicken broth or vegetable broth and let it cook for another 2 hours. Keep the heat on low and stir occasionally to prevent the mole from burning.

Your kitchen should be smelling heavenly right about now. When the sauce is done, the mole will be thick enough to coat a spoon. Give the sauce a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

You can serve this mole sauce with steak, use it for enchiladas, or serve it with fried eggs for a hearty breakfast, as I did. Experiment with different ingredients and make this mole your own!

For another twist on a great Mexican classic, check out this Mexican cobb salad and forbidden rice horchata!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: Feel free to make the sauce a day before you serve it. The flavors tend to develop and intensify after sitting for a day or two. Reheat the mole before serving and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• Store: Keep the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Frequently asked questions

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