Those who have never tried mole sauce might think it is best served on ice cream. And while it’s true that the sauce does contain chocolate, it is best when used as a dressing on meats. Read on to find out more about what makes mole sauce special.
The first thing you should know about mole sauce is that it’s pronounced MOH-lay, not like the animal. You should also know that it can be made using several different ingredients, but chocolate is commonly used. However, the chocolate flavor should never dominate.
When making the sauce, ingredients from five different categories should be included. These categories are chilies, sour, sweet, spicy, and a thickener. The ingredients are mixed together to form a paste that is combined with water or broth. However, the consistency should remain thick.
There are two main types of mole. Mole Negro contains at least three types of dried chilies, smoky whole spices, and dark unsweetened chocolate. It gets its dark color from the chocolate and a Mexican herb called hoja santa.
Mole Pablano is reddish brown in color and includes pasilla chiles, chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and coriander.
Of course, there are many other mole sauces that are delicious and worth trying, like Mole de Cacahuate, which contains peanuts, Mole Dulce, which contains bananas and plantains, Pipan, which contains ground squash seeds, and Mile Verde, which contains fresh herbs and tomatillos. There is also Mole Manchamanteles, which uses apples and pineapples.
The recipe we provide is for a form of Mole Negro. It is defined by the cinnamon, chocolate, and chilies it contains. It is perfect for serving with chicken for a tasty dish that represents the flavors of the Aztec culture from which it originates. Add some to tonight’s meal to take your poultry to the next level.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup water
3 large dried chilies
2 onions; chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups tomato sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1 oz. square unsweetened baking chocolate
Directions:
1. Combine salt, pepper, water, chiles and onions in a saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes on low.
2. Add garlic, tomato sauce, sugar, cinnamon and chocolate.
3. Stir until heated through and chocolate is melted, then serve over chicken. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Other Meat Sauces to Try
Mole sauce is a fantastic addition to so many meats. It really helps elevate a dish to the next level. Once you've given our mole sauce a try, consider these other sauces:
- Béarnaise. This is a classic steak sauce. It's creamy and has a nice tang to it that brings a satisfying flavor to a properly-cooked steak.
- Blue cheese. You probably use blue cheese dressing on salad, but it can be used on meat as well! A good blue cheese dressing goes great with steak or on burgers.
- Cowboy butter. If you haven't tried some cowboy butter on your steak yet, what are you waiting for? Once you try this dressing on your steak, you'll never go back.
- Peanut sauce. This particular sauce goes great with chicken. Peanut sauce is used in a lot of Thai dishes, and can be added to ramen noodles for extra flair.
- Fruit salsa. Fruit salsa can be used on steak, but we feel it's best paired with poultry. The sweet-and-spicy taste of this dressing will bring a lot of flavor to your next chicken or turkey dinner.
- Whiskey sauce. This one probably already has your interest piqued! A good whiskey sauce is great on any red meat, particularly brisket and burgers. Grab a bottle of your favorite cooking whiskey and get started on this delicious dressing!
- Orange sauce. Well-known for its use in Chinese-American cuisine, orange sauce is a great addition to any poultry dish. It's tangy and sweet.
- Barbecue sauce. We're not talking about the store bought kind here. Making your own barbecue sauce is a way to enhance the meat you eat. There are many different ways to prepare your own barbecue sauce, so experiment with different ingredients and see which you prefer!
- Mushroom sauce. Great on burgers and steak, a good mushroom sauce is definitely something to have in your dressing recipe book. This is a great one to bust out in the colder months; there's something comforting about a good mushroom sauce over meat.
- Red wine sauce. You may have seen this one offered at a good steakhouse. Making your own red wine sauce is a great idea for date night, or any other special dinner you're preparing.