Mole Poblano — Recreating an 1831 Mexican Recipe

dark chocolate

🥗Healthier: cacao nibs

💰Cheaper: milk chocolate

Cacao nibs are lower in sugar and calories, while milk chocolate is often less expensive.

almonds

🥗Healthier: walnuts

💰Cheaper: peanuts

Walnuts provide similar health benefits, while peanuts are generally cheaper.

Remove the stems from the ancho, pacia, and mulatto chiles to avoid bitterness and preserve the seeds for later use.

Remove the veins from the chiles to control the heat.

Toast the chiles in a dry skillet until aromatic, deepening their sweetness and flavor.

Toast the sesame seeds until fragrant to add body to the dish.

Toast cloves, cinnamon, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns until fragrant.

Grind the toasted chiles and spices into a powder, adding a dash of water to create a paste.

Blanch the tomatillos to soften their acidity and remove the grassy coat, then pound them into a pulp.

Brown the turkey in a smoking hot pan with a generous amount of lard until golden.

Add the ham hock to enrich the dish and develop complex flavors through the Maillard reaction.

Remove the turkey briefly after browning, then add the chili and spice paste to the pan, lowering the heat to avoid burning.

Evaporate the water content from the paste to concentrate its flavors before adding the tomato and seed mixture.

Thin the mixture with a touch of water to lift the fond from the pan, then add enough water to cover everything.

Salt generously to reduce moisture release from the paste, then simmer low until the meats are tender and the sauce thickens.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens