Mole poblano - Mexican chocolate and chilli sauce
Mole poblano is a sauce - typically for meat - that combines chocolate and chilli, two of the most charactersitically Mexican ingredients around. In English it is often referred to as simply mole, which comes from the Nahuatl word for sauce or mixture (hence guacamole). The traditional recipe can involve up to 30 ingredients, so you'll be pleased to hear we've simplified it a bit!
Ingredients:
Hot chillis (quantity according to taste), finely chopped and seeded
500g chopped tomatoes
200g onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 corn tortilla, crumbled (can be substituted for breadcrumbs)
200ml chicken stock
100g dark chocolate
100g sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
Vegetable oil
Salt, to taste
Method:
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep saucepan and fry the chillis until crisp.
2. Grill the tomatoes, onion and garlic, turning until brown on all sides.
3. Mix the chillis, tomatoes, onion and garlic in a saucepan and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the crumbled tortilla or breadcrumbs, chocolate, sugar and cinnamon along with a cup of water and simmer for another half an hour, mixing until all the ingredients have blended.
Serve with chicken, meat or vegetables. A sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts or almonds makes the perfect finishing touch.
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