Mole: balancing many ingredients
A good mole can have twenty or more ingredients. Dried chiles bring heat and fruitiness. Nuts and seeds bring fat and body. Chocolate adds bitter depth, and sugar or dried fruit rounds off the sharp edges.
Fry the paste
After blending, the paste is fried in fat until it darkens and thickens. That cooks off water and deepens the flavor. Thin it with broth, simmer, then taste. A little sweetness softens bitterness and heat.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
What does chocolate usually do in a mole?
Gives the sauce bitter depth and richness. It adds bitterness and richness more than dessert flavor.
True or false: In mole, every ingredient goes into the blender raw.
False. Most mole ingredients are toasted or fried first, because browning builds their flavor.
What went wrong? You toss chiles, sesame seeds and nuts into one pan for the same time. The sesame scorches, and the mole tastes bitter.
Each ingredient browns at its own speed. Small seeds scorch before dense nuts brown, so toast each on its own.
Fill the blank: A mole that tastes too bitter or too hot usually wants ___.
A mole that tastes too bitter or too hot usually wants a touch of sweetness. Sugar or dried fruit softens bitter and hot edges.
Why fry the blended mole paste before adding broth?
It cooks off water and deepens the flavor. Evaporation concentrates the paste, and browning adds depth.
True or false: A little sweetness can make a bitter or hot sauce taste more balanced.
True. Sweetness reduces how strongly we notice bitterness and heat.