Mole de Tortilla

While most people outside of Mexico think of Mole as “that dish with chocolate,” the word mole (pronounced mole-ay) actually means “sauce” or “mixture” in Nahuatl, the Aztec language still spoken by more than a million people. Mole Poblano, that unique and remarkable dish featuring no less than 20 different ingredients and spices, including chocolate, is just one of many kinds of moles.

In this mole, totopos, or well-toasted tortillas, are crushed and mixed into the guajillo- and chipotle-based tomato sauce, adding a nuttiness to the smoky heat of the chiles. Garlic, cloves, and cinnamon elucidate the sweetness of the guajillos and the tomatoes, bringing to life a deeply flavorful sauce perfect for chicken or pork. When we asked our host mom Dominga the name of this dish, she said, “Mole de Tortilla…o Chile de Tortilla…o Molito de Chile de Tortilla.” So I guess just call it whatever you want.

*For vegetarians, use new or red potatoes and vegetable stock and feel free to add any other vegetables of your choosing.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

-1.5kg chicken (our host family uses whatever pieces are available, including drumsticks, thighs, wings, and even feet, the back, and the head—but use whatever cuts you like best). You can use pork too if you want—the directions are the same!

-4 tortillas (plus more for eating later)

-8 Roma tomatoes

-4 dried Guajillo chiles and 5 dried Chipotle chiles (the exact amounts aren’t that important, feel free to use more of one than the other if that’s how you like it! Both can be found in any Mexican grocery store)

-4 cloves

-half a stick of cinnamon

-2 cloves of garlic

-half an onion

-1 cube of chicken bouillon (or veggie)

-1 Tbs oil

-1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Directions:

1. Add chicken, 1 clove of garlic, half an onion, and 1 tsp of salt into a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Let boil for 30 minutes.

2. On a comal or in a shallow pan, toast the tomatoes whole over medium-high heat until blackened. Keep turning them until all sides are blackened and the skin begins to open, about 15-20 minutes. You’ll likely have to do this in batches.

3. Make your totopos. To do this, put 2 tortillas on a comal or in a shallow pan over medium heat. If your pan is so small that the tortillas touch, just do 1 at a time. Turn each tortilla about 45° every 30 seconds or so, and when one side is toasty, flip and do the same on the other side. Co

ntinue turning and flipping until your tortilla is nice and brown and toasted, not burned, about 10 minutes. You can use a spatula if the pan is too hot. Or you can be chignon/a and use your fingers, but know that if you do this every day for 50 years you’ll no longer have fingerprints.

1. When your totopos are ready, use the same comal or pan to toast the guajillo chiles, about 30 seconds on each side, until they look a little darker and inflate a little. When your guajillos are toasted, wash the chiles with a little water and pull off the stem.

2. Toast the chipotles in a similar way, but a little longer, about a minute and a half on each side. Then rinse with water and pull off stem.

3. In a blender or food processor, add the chiles, the remaining garlic clove, half a cinnamon stick, and cloves. Fill to the top with water and blend well until it’s a liquid. Pour in bowl and set aside.

4. Add your totopos to a bowl of water and soften for a few minutes. When softened, break up a little with your hands.

5. Fill the blender or food processor with toasted tomatoes and totopo pieces. Fill halfway with water and blend until smooth. You might have to do this a few times depending on the size of your blender.

6. In a large pot, add oil and put over medium heat. When it’s nice and hot, add both the chile and tomato purees.

7. Add pieces of chicken (or potatoes or pork) and about 2.5 cups of the broth. (If using potatoes, add 5 cups of vegetable stock). Save the rest of the broth for later :)

8. Bring to a boil and boil for another 10 minutes or so.

Serve and enjoy with warm tortillas (tear in pieces and use like utensils) and rice/beans if you want!