Holy mole!
Figs make this mole recipe uniquely Los Angeles
Mole’s layered flavors come from first bringing out the best in each ingredient on its own, then blending and simmering them in a balanced, smooth, silky sauce.
Complicated as it may seem — and there are a lot of steps — you can nail mole on the first try without stressing if you break it down into its components and understand how they all come together. First, steep a stock of herbs, spices and Mexican chocolate; then toast and fry other components; then bring it all together.
The recipe that follows is adapted from Christy Lujan of CaCao Mexicatessen. Dried Black Mission figs lend a deep red wine-like sweetness to a mole Poblano-style base. Lujan had three tips to help the new-to-mole cook:
Good cooking takes time and effort
You need to deeply brown each ingredient individually: Dry-toast the nuts, seeds, dried fruit and crackers; blister the dried chiles; and fry the onion, garlic, tortilla and bread. Let each cook to deep brown but don’t let any blacken. The dark burnish brings deep savory notes, but even a hint of burn will make the whole mole bitter. The ingredients have to be prepped one at time because they toast at different rates; they also must be watched carefully because they go from toasty to charred quickly. Later, you need to strain the sauce, which is a pain but necessary to achieve the silkiest texture.
Be bold in the kitchen
Lujan says the step where you pour the sauce into smoking hot oil is crucial, as it melds the flavors of the disparate ingredients by searing them together. Yes, it’s scary: It crackles as loudly as fireworks, spatters hard and may cause burns if you’re not careful. Put on an old long-sleeve shirt and an apron, stand back and pour with confidence. Then turn off the fire as fast as you can.
Trust yourself
You can — and should — adjust mole’s seasonings to your taste. The recipe is calibrated to have a certain mix of spicy, salty and sweet, but you have to trust your taste buds to make it perfect for you. If it’s too spicy, toast or fry more crackers, tortilla or onion, then puree with water until smooth and blend into the sauce to mellow it. If it’s not spicy enough, do the same with chiles. Salt it more if you’d like or, if it’s too salty, thin it with water.