Mole sauces

Every mole has a lineage. Ours is Mazatec and Zapotec.

The recipe

This red mole comes out of ongoing work with Mazatec and Zapotec collaborators in Oaxaca. We cook it in East Vancouver, in small batches, the way they taught us. If your family makes mole, you know what goes into one. If it is new to you, the ingredient list below is the honest version: no powders, no paste from a tin.

What is in the jar

Ancho chili, plantain, raisins, almonds, nixtamal masa, onion, garlic, Xinachtli chocolate, sesame seeds, salt, sugar, plant-based broth, and spices toasted in stages: anise, cumin, cinnamon, thyme, oregano, marjoram, black pepper, clove. Our own masa thickens the sauce, and our own chocolate finishes it. The whole jar is plant-based and gluten-free, so it moves between kitchens without adjustment.

How to use it

Add a bit of water and simmer about 10 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Spoon it over chicken, roasted squash, or mushrooms. Dip warm tortillas through it for enmoladas. Fold it into beans or shredded jackfruit for tacos. Leftover sauce keeps well and deepens overnight.

Mole wants masa. Order fresh tortillas or a bag of stone-ground masa and make enmoladas the same week.