Mole Coloradito Recipe

Mole Coloradito in the house!  This is a great recipe to get familiar with Mo-lay sauces, so maybe it's time to give it a go?!

The hearty nature of this sauce will give you loads of insta-meal options, so don't worry too much about serving style the first time you make it.

It has such a unique and satisfying flavor, so even warm tortillas dipped in the Coloradito sauce will make for some happy faces in the kitchen...

 

How To Make Mole Coloradito

I'm using Ancho and New Mexican chiles for this batch, but there's some leeway on the dried chiles. 

The Anchos add the bulk of the flavor, so when available try to use those.   More info on Ancho chiles. 

This recipe has been through four iterations, and I'm mostly sold on 4 oz. of dried chiles per 2 lb. of tomatoes, which roughly equates to:

5 Ancho chiles
4 New Mexican chiles  More info on New Mexican chiles

I started with a much higher ratio of chiles, but have brought it down a couple times so that they don't cover up all the other flavors! 

I usually start by wiping off any dusty crevasses on the chiles, then de-stemming and de-seeding them:

These typically get flash roasted to wake up any dormant flavors. 

Pressing them on a hot, dry skillet is the traditional way, but when the oven is on I tend to use that -- just give them 1-2 minutes in the oven, or until they are warm and fragrant. 

Then cover them with the hottest tap water you've got and let them reconstitute for 20-30 minutes, or until you need them.

I usually put the tomatoes in the oven too, but you can roast them on the stovetop if you want. 

They'll need around 30 minutes to fully roast in a 400F oven, but I usually just grab 'em when I need 'em. 

I also de-stem the tomatoes knowing that any leftover juices in the roasting pan will go in the blender.

 

As the tomatoes roast we'll start cooking the other ingredients. 

Roughly chop an onion and peel 8 garlic cloves. 

Cook the onion and garlic in a glug of oil over medium heat until the onion is starting to brown.  I usually just leave the garlic cloves whole knowing that all of this will be blended eventually. 

Once cooked you can put this mixture in the blender where it will wait patiently for the other ingredients. 

Here are the spices I'm using for this batch:

Adding this unique crew of spices to traditional Mexican ingredients will guarantee some new flavors in your kitchen!

On the left in the above pic:

2/3 cup sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns (approximately 12 peppercorns)
8 whole cloves

And on the right:

1 tablespoon Mexican oregano  What is Mexican oregano?
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

The sesame seeds and whole spices get toasted in a dry skillet until the seeds are browning:

And then at the last minute I dump in the powdered spices and give 'em just a few seconds to wake up:

All of this will get grinded up into a fine powder.   You can use a molcajete, a spice grinder, or a food processor to accomplish this -- I used a spice grinder and had to do it in two batches. 

At this point the dried chiles will be reconstituted, but before you drain them please take a taste of the soaking liquid!  

 

Half of you will like the earthy, astringent flavor of the soaking liquid -- and half of you will think it tastes bitter. 

It always tastes slightly bitter to me, so I tend to use stock to liquefy Enchilada and Mole sauces.  You can consider this personal preference though -- feel free to use the soaking liquid if it works for your palate. 

 

We'll add the reconstituted chiles to the blender along with a single cup of stock.  The onion-garlic mixture should be in the blender as well.   Combine well.  

By the way...

The first time you make this sauce I think it's beneficial to taste it multiple times along the way.  It's fascinating to see how the flavor develops with the addition of each set of ingredients.   Optional, but worth it in my opinion 🙂

Next we'll add the roasted tomatoes.  All of this should fit in a single blender, but you may have to do the tomatoes in batches. 

So at this point there's onion, garlic, dried chiles and tomatoes in the blender, and a bit of stock -- give it a taste and your palate will recognize it as the base for Enchilada sauces.   

But now we'll add seeds and spices that will transform it into something completely unique. 

Add in the finely ground spices (sesame seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, Mexican oregano) and give it a taste. 

If it's not combining well you can add another cup of stock (or soaking liquid if you're using that). 

You'll need around 3-4 cups of stock for the entire recipe -- I usually add what I need to combine it and then add the rest for a quick simmer at the end.    

Next we'll add:

2 tablespoons raisins
1/2 cup almonds

This is probably a good time to mention that I typically make Mole sauces with just a hint of sweetness, but you're always welcome to add more.  

So you can consider the listed raisin and chocolate amounts the bare minimum to sweeten up your Coloradito sauce.  Feel free to double it and taste from there.   

I also added a single teaspoon of salt at this point.  Note that the salt amount will depend on which stock you use.  I used a barely salted homemade stock -- if using a store-bought stock then you probably won't need to add as much salt. 

Give it all a good whirl and say hello to a blender full of Coloradito amazingness. 

If you can't stop eating it out of the blender that's a good sign!

It's got such a satisfying flavor, and I always marvel at the idea of such distinct flavors coming together to create something so unique.  

We'll fry this off in 2 tablespoons of lard (or oil). 

I also added another cup of stock (so that's 3 cups total) and another pinch of salt.  Use a splatter screen if you've got one, otherwise a piece of parchment paper or foil will keep the Mole from painting your kitchen. 

Once heated through you can add the final touch -- chocolate!

It's worth it to add chocolate the first time you make this sauce, but it's definitely not required.  The sauce is already beyond satisfying at this point, so feel free to go easy (or omit) the chocolate in future batches. 

Here's what 2 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips looks like. 

That's about 1/3 cup and that's probably the bare minimum you'll need to actually taste the chocolate in this competitively flavored sauce.   You can also use Mexican chocolate.

I'm happy with this 2 oz., but feel free to double or triple if you have a sweet tooth. 

Let this simmer for a few minutes and then take a final taste.   For a thinner sauce you can add a bit more stock -- or to thicken it up just let it simmer a bit longer. 

And by the way... I've experimented with longer simmer times to see how it affects the final flavor.  It didn't seem to make much of a difference, most likely because we're starting with cooked ingredients.  If, on the other hand, you put raw tomatoes in the blender then you would benefit from a longer simmer time.   

And now the final decision you'll have to make...

Do I have to strain it?!

Straining your Mole sauce gives it a silky smooth texture that will instantly seduce your friends and family, but it doesn't change the flavor. 

I strained this  batch, but will readily admit that I don't always do that because it's a royal pain to strain 🙂

You have to force it through the strainer with a spatula and that takes some time. 

Of course, it does give you some incredibly attractive Mole sauce. 

But again, don't sweat the straining as it won't affect the flavor much.  It's worth it occasionally for me, but not every time.  

Okay, Mole Coloradito is in the house...now what?!

Traditional serving styles include:

• Drenching light, roasted meat (chicken, turkey)
• Used like an enchilada sauce for Enmoladas
• Served over eggs
• Chilaquiles

But I recommend keeping it simple the first time you make it.  It's such a delicious, hearty sauce and you really don't need much else to make a meal. 

Take some warm corn tortillas and dredge them in the Mole sauce. 

Fill them with Queso Fresco and some bits of raw onion, then fold in half and drench them with your epic Coloradito sauce. 

Optional garnishes include:

Crema
Toasted sesame seeds
More Queso Fresco
Freshly chopped cilantro

This simple serving style is such a great way to get familiar with the flavor of this one-of-a-kind sauce, so please keep it in mind for your first go.  

And yes, you'll probably have leftovers as the recipe will make a big batch.   Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge where it will last for a few days -- unless you eat it all for breakfast the next day 🙂

Okay, let me know if you have any questions about this Mole Coloradito.  The process may look intimidating at first, but after fiddling with it over the last couple weeks I've found that it's quite forgiving and the results are well worth the effort.     

Buen Provecho. 

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For reference, I recently tested out various chile combos for Mole sauces with this Holy Trinity of Ancho/Mulato/Pasilla being my favorite:

 

And then I used that chile combo to make some awesome Mole Poblano:

 

Our latest recipe is Spicy Chicken Salad.