Mole, meaning “potage” or “mixture” in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, is a blend of chiles, seeds, nuts, bread, and fruits (fresh and dried) with a liquid (water or stock), sometimes served with chicken, beef, or pork, or on its own with rice, tortillas, or bread. Mole exists in a variety of preparations throughout Mexico, and each dish has its own unique flavor profile.

What are the Seven Moles of Oaxaca?

Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, is renowned for its Seven Moles, including: mole amarillo , or yellow mole, made with chicken and yellow chiles; mole verde , or green mole, owing its color to the green herbs, vegetables, and chiles in the sauce; mole rojo (red mole), is the most well-known outside of Mexico, sometimes confused with mole poblano, since they’re made with red chiles, nuts, chocolate, and, sometimes, sweet plantain. In the list of seven moles is also mole coloradito, a sauce that’s a lighter shade of red due to the chiles and tomatoes, and often served with chicken. Mole chichilo, made with avocado leaves, chiles, cloves, and garlic, is the least known of the moles and is served with white rice and turkey. Although the origins of its name remain shrouded in mystery, mole manchamanteles, or “tablecloth stainer,” is a sweet and spicy sauce made with ancho chiles, allspice, black pepper, and sweet plantains, plus fruits such as pineapples. Among these, however, mole negro, or black mole, is “the king of moles,” on account of the complex preparation and large number of ingredients, including several varieties of dried and fresh chiles, nuts, fruits, and seeds, plus bread or tortilla to thicken the sauce. Mole negro is the traditional dish served at major celebrations and holiday festivities, including Día de Muertos.

Mole Negro

Active Time:

2 hrs 10 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs 20 mins

Servings:

Yield:

3 cups mole sauce

2021 F&W Best New Chef Fermín Núñez of Suerte and Este in Austin has worked on perfecting this mole negro — one of the classic Seven Moles of Oaxaca — for over a decade. This rendition begins by making a mole paste that’s thinned at the end with chicken broth to transform it to a rich, deep, and complex mole negro sauce.

Mole negro is a symphony of dried pasilla, ancho, and morita chiles with toasted almonds, pecans, and peanuts, plus dried fruits and spices for a touch of sweetness, along with Mexican chocolate. The dried chiles that are burnt until black and crispy, giving the mole negro its namesake black color. “You taste everything that's in there, and it's not just a cloudy thing of flavors that is a little bit of sweet, a little bit of spicy,” Núñez says. “There's a lot of layers and depth of flavor.”

Núñez makes this mole negro on Día de Muertos in memory of his grandmother, Maria. “She never really got to know who I am, and I think this is my way of telling her,” he says. It’s a mole Núñez believes would make his grandmother proud: “I would think that she would hopefully say it’s perfect.”

Serve this mole over juicy roast chicken or turkey, garnished with sesame seeds and Mexican crema.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is mole?

Mole, meaning “potage” or “mixture” in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, is a blend of chiles, seeds, nuts, bread, and fruits (fresh and dried) with a liquid (water or stock), sometimes served with chicken, beef, or pork, or on its own with rice, tortillas, or bread. Mole exists in a variety of preparations throughout Mexico, and each dish has its own unique flavor profile.
What are the Seven Moles of Oaxaca?

Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, is renowned for its Seven Moles, including: mole amarillo, or yellow mole, made with chicken and yellow chiles; mole verde, or green mole, owing its color to the green herbs, vegetables, and chiles in the sauce; mole rojo (red mole), is the most well-known outside of Mexico, sometimes confused with mole poblano, since they’re made with red chiles, nuts, chocolate, and, sometimes, sweet plantain. In the list of seven moles is also mole coloradito, a sauce that’s a lighter shade of red due to the chiles and tomatoes, and often served with chicken. Mole chichilo, made with avocado leaves, chiles, cloves, and garlic, is the least known of the moles and is served with white rice and turkey. Although the origins of its name remain shrouded in mystery, mole manchamanteles, or “tablecloth stainer,” is a sweet and spicy sauce made with ancho chiles, allspice, black pepper, and sweet plantains, plus fruits such as pineapples. Among these, however, mole negro, or black mole, is “the king of moles,” on account of the complex preparation and large number of ingredients, including several varieties of dried and fresh chiles, nuts, fruits, and seeds, plus bread or tortilla to thicken the sauce. Mole negro is the traditional dish served at major celebrations and holiday festivities, including Día de Muertos.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

When cooking tomato paste, the color will change from bright red to dark red, and the flavor will change from mild tomato to roasted tomato.

Suggested pairing

Try pairing this rich mole dish with a chocolaty, velvety, bold Argentinean Malbec, such as Catena.

Make ahead

Mole paste can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month or frozen for about three months. Thaw paste overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat it on the stove before adding the chicken broth. Mole negro sauce can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Ingredients

4 dried pasilla chiles (1 1/4 ounces), stems and seeds removed
4 dried ancho chiles (2 ounces), stems and seeds removed
2 dried morita chipotle chiles (1/4 ounce), stems and seeds removed
6 tablespoons sunflower oil, divided
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup whole garlic cloves (about 12 garlic cloves), peeled
2 tablespoons sliced fresh ginger (about 1 [2-inch] piece)
4 (4-inch) thyme sprigs
1 fresh bay leaf
1 small white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup prunes (about 6 prunes)
1/4 cup raisins
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
3/4 teaspoon anise seeds
3/4 teaspoon whole allspice
1 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 1/2 ounces Mexican chocolate, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3 cups chicken broth

Directions

Make the mole paste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chiles on a large baking sheet. Bake until black and crispy (almost like ash), 10 to 12 minutes. (You know it’s right when there is light smoke coming from the oven.) Transfer chiles to a medium bowl; set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium; add almonds, and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add peanuts and pecans; cook, stirring often, until toasted to a deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer nuts to a small bowl, and let cool; set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the same skillet, and heat over medium until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring often, until deep golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add thyme and bay leaf; cook, stirring often, until bloomed and toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a separate medium bowl; set aside.
In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium until shimmering; add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with garlic-ginger mixture. Wipe skillet clean. Add prunes to skillet; cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until blistered in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl with garlic-ginger mixture. Wipe skillet clean. Add raisins to skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until raisins are plump and charred in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl with garlic-ginger mixture.
Wipe skillet clean. Add cinnamon stick, sesame seeds, anise seeds, and allspice to skillet. Cook over medium, stirring often, until fragrant and sesame seeds are toasted, about 2 minutes. Set aside, and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, and crush until finely ground; set aside.
Transfer nut mixture to bowl of a food processor. Break toasted chiles into small pieces, and add to food processor. Pulse until finely ground, about 12 pulses. Add ground cinnamon mixture and garlic-ginger mixture; pulse until mixture becomes crumbly, about 10 pulses. Add 1 cup water; process until mixture forms a smooth paste, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium until shimmering. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until tomato paste is dark red, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in chile paste until well combined. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of Dutch oven to release any browned bits, until a very thick paste forms and mixture darkens, about 30 minutes.
Stir in chocolate, and cook, stirring constantly, until melted and well combined, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook over low, stirring often, until chocolate flavor melds and mixture is very dark and crumbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let paste cool, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the Mole Sauce

Set a Dutch oven over medium-high, and add mole paste. Whisk in chicken broth until smooth and well combined. Cook, stirring often, until mole sauce is warmed through and thick like gravy, about 5 minutes.