HN 23 | Recipe: Mole!

BY PAOLA CORDONA & LIGI RODAS, FH GUATEMALA

Chocolate for dinner—everyone’s dream, correcto? Molé is a common sauce throughout Latin America often served with fruit and even meats. It’s an exotic flavour to the Canadian palette, but a satisfying one if you like the taste of spicy, dark chocolate!

INGREDIENTS:
6           plantains (or bananas)
6           tomatoes 
1           red bell pepper
1           mulato pepper (aka, dried publano pepper)
2/3 cup   sesame seeds
2/3 cup   pumpkin seeds
2 sticks   cinnamon
1 lb           Latin American drinking  
          chocolate bars*
4 tbsp   vegetable oil for frying


*Baking chocolates, hot chocolate mix, or cocoa powder aren't good substitutes. Look for these dissolvable, sweetened dark chocolate bars in import stores.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Removing the seeds, cut red pepper and mulato pepper into chunks. Set mulato pepper aside.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and grill the red pepper and whole tomatoes until gently charred. 

2. After 10 mins, break chocolate bars into pieces and add to pan. Turn to low heat for another 5 mins or until chocolate is melted.

3. Meanwhile, in another frying pan, on low heat toast the sesame and pumpkin seeds until aromatic, about 10 mins. Stir often to avoid burning. Combine in a blender tomatoes, red pepper, chocolate, roasted seeds, mulato pepper, cinnamon sticks, and 1 cup of water. Blend well. Strain molé sauce for a smooth texture free of lumps. Set aside.

4. Peel plantains and cut diagonally into slices. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry plantain slices on both sides, until golden. Remove and set aside.

5. In a saucepan, combine fried plantains and molé sauce and simmer on low heat for about 5 mins.

Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and serve hot.