Aged Mole Poblano — Olvera-Inspired

About This Recipe

This dish is inspired by Chef Enrique Olvera's lifelong commitment to indigenous Mexican ingredients and his iconic 'Mole Madre' at Pujol — a mole that has been continuously aged and re-fed for over 2,500 days. While we cannot replicate that timeline at home, this recipe captures the spirit of his approach: a deeply layered mole built from toasted chiles, nuts, seeds, chocolate and spices, simmered slowly until the flavours meld into something far greater than their parts. Served over poached chicken with warm tortillas and rice. This is our original recipe, not a reproduction of any Pujol menu item.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 6ancho chiles(stemmed and seeded)
• 4mulato chiles(stemmed and seeded)
• 4pasilla chiles(stemmed and seeded)
• 2chipotle chiles in adobo
• 60 galmonds
• 60 gpeanuts
• 60 gsesame seeds(plus extra for garnish)
• 30 graisins
• 1ripe plantain(sliced)
• 2tomatoes(halved)
• 1white onion(quartered)
• 5 clovesgarlic(unpeeled)
• 1 stickcinnamon
• 4whole cloves
• 6black peppercorns
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 60 gMexican drinking chocolate(such as Ibarra, chopped)
• 1.5 Lchicken stock
• 1whole chicken(cut into 6 pieces)
• 60 mlneutral oil(for frying)
• 1 tbspsalt(or to taste)
• 12warm corn tortillas(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the chiles

   On a hot dry comal or skillet, toast the ancho, mulato and pasilla chiles for 30 seconds per side until fragrant — do NOT burn or the mole will be bitter. Soak in hot water for 20 minutes until soft.

2. 2

   Toast the dry ingredients

   On the same comal, toast the almonds, peanuts and sesame seeds separately, each just until golden. Set aside. Char the tomatoes, onion and garlic on the comal until blackened in spots — this builds smoky depth.

3. 3

   Fry the plantain and raisins

   Heat the oil in a large pot. Fry the plantain slices until golden and caramelised, then the raisins until they puff slightly. Remove with a slotted spoon.

4. 4

   Blend the mole base

   In a high-powered blender, combine the soaked chiles (drained), chipotle, toasted nuts and seeds, charred vegetables, peeled garlic, plantain, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cumin, oregano, chocolate and 500ml of stock. Blend until completely smooth — work in batches if needed. Strain through a fine sieve.

5. 5

   Cook the mole

   In the same pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and pour in the strained mole — it should bubble and splatter, that's normal. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. Add the remaining stock and salt. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring often, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust salt.

6. 6

   Poach the chicken

   In a separate pot, gently poach the chicken in lightly salted water with half an onion and 2 garlic cloves for 25 minutes until just cooked. Remove and pat dry.

7. 7

   Plate and serve

   Spoon a generous pool of mole onto each warm plate. Place the chicken on top. Drizzle with extra mole. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Serve with warm corn tortillas and Mexican rice.

Variations

• •

  Mole Negro: substitute mulato for chilhuacle chiles for the deeper, more bitter Oaxacan style.

• •

  Vegetarian Mole: serve over roasted butternut squash and sweet potato instead of chicken.

• •

  Turkey Mole: traditional Mexican preparation — substitute poached turkey for chicken.

Storage

Mole keeps in the fridge for 1 week and freezes for up to 3 months. The flavour deepens with time.

Frequently Asked Questions