This is a great recipe to use with left-over turkey. The rich spiciness of the mole is a perfect compliment to the dark meat of the turkey, and in fact, turkey was probably the original meat used in moles as turkeys existed in Meso-America long before chickens arrived. The only changes I made were to add a cup of cut-up dried prunes at the same time as I added the turkey, and to substitute Chicken-in-a-mug for the broth…
This is a ‘sencillo’ (simple) mole in the fact that it only has 15 or so ingredients as opposed to the usual 30 or so! Chef Rossana simplified it so we could make within the three-hour limit of our cooking class, but even so she boiled the chicken thighs and legs ahead of time!
mole poblano sencillo
This ‘simple’ mole used almost 50 chiles along with tiny amounts (in comparison) of other spices, all ground into a paste and poured over the chicken that had provided the chicken broth base and was served with ‘arroz a la mexicana‘.
- 1/2 of the 50 odd chiles used in our ‘simple’ Puebla-style mole that consisted of 15 ancho chiles, 12 mulato chiles and 20 chipotle chiles, all with the seeds removed, and all ‘lightly’ fried in pork fat.
one half of the 50-odd chiles needed for the mole poblano
- the fried chiles were crumbled and then blended along with 1/2 medium onion, 12 grilled garlic cloves, 2 cups of canned tomatoes, 1 tsp of toasted anise seeds, 6 cloves crushed, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, salt to taste and two crushed black peppercorns. The chile paste was strained into 2 Tbsp of hot pork fat, and fried. The mix was then set to a simmer and the chicken broth gradually incorporated.
strain the blended chiles and spice mixture into hot pork fat and fry
- at this point 1/2 ‘puck’ of Mexican chocolate, broken into small pieces, was added to the mix.
the sugared gritty chocolate that is added to the mole
- The previously cooked chicken was added to the ‘mole and warmed. This is the ‘sencillo‘ (simple) mole Puebla-style looks as served and topped with toasted sesame seeds
mole poblano, also known as mole negro
- meanwhile, we started the Mexican-style rice by frying the rice in hot oil until it turned opaque
- a mix of blended tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt and water, plus peas and carrots were added to the ‘fried’ rice. Once it was brought to a boil, sprigs of cilantro were added, and the heat turned down to low with the pot covered.
a mix of blended tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt and water, peans and carrots are added to the fried rice
- the finished Mexican-style rice
Arroz a la mexicana
- Mexican-style rice and chicken mole poblano sencillo
Mole poblano con arroz a la mexicana
