flipMole Negro de Oaxaca
Mole Negro de Oaxaca
Why this dish? Frida hosted Diego Rivera, Trotsky, Breton, and all of artistic Mexico around grand moles at the Casa Azul; her daughter-in-law Guadalupe Rivera collected these festive recipes served in Coyoacán.
A deep black sauce, at once spicy, slightly bitter, and velvety, made from a score of dried chiles, spices, seeds, dried fruits, and a touch of chocolate, ladled over poultry. The dish for baptisms, weddings, and grand receptions.
Mira, mole is not something you rush: it's a whole day bent over the metate, and never mind a broken back, I paint sitting down! I toast my chilhuacle until they blacken and perfume the whole blue cocina, then I add the cinnamon, clove, almonds, and just a shard of chocolate — not to sweeten, to give body, comprende? Diego asks for three helpings and stains his whole shirt, that bear. At my table in Coyoacán, we eat hearty and laugh hearty, as we live.
- •Dried chiles (chilhuacle negro, mulato, pasilla) — a good handful of each (aromatic base and black color)
- •Guajolote (turkey) or hen — one whole bird (meat)
- •Mexican table chocolate — one small disk (body and bitter depth)
- •Almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds — a handful of each (thickener and richness)
- •Cinnamon, clove, burnt tortilla — to taste (aroma and bitterness)
- •Tomatillos and tomatoes — a few (acidity and binding)
Mole Negro de Oaxaca
A deep black sauce, at once spicy, slightly bitter, and velvety, made from a score of dried chiles, spices, seeds, dried fruits, and a touch of chocolate, ladled over poultry. The dish for baptisms, weddings, and grand receptions.
Why this dish? Frida hosted Diego Rivera, Trotsky, Breton, and all of artistic Mexico around grand moles at the Casa Azul; her daughter-in-law Guadalupe Rivera collected these festive recipes served in Coyoacán.
Mira, mole is not something you rush: it's a whole day bent over the metate, and never mind a broken back, I paint sitting down! I toast my chilhuacle until they blacken and perfume the whole blue cocina, then I add the cinnamon, clove, almonds, and just a shard of chocolate — not to sweeten, to give body, comprende? Diego asks for three helpings and stains his whole shirt, that bear. At my table in Coyoacán, we eat hearty and laugh hearty, as we live.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried chiles (chilhuacle negro, mulato, pasilla) — a good handful of each (aromatic base and black color)
- Guajolote (turkey) or hen — one whole bird (meat)
- Mexican table chocolate — one small disk (body and bitter depth)
- Almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds — a handful of each (thickener and richness)
- Cinnamon, clove, burnt tortilla — to taste (aroma and bitterness)
- Tomatillos and tomatoes — a few (acidity and binding)
Ingredients
- Dried ancho + pasilla + mulato chiles — 8 total (if chilhuacle unavailable) (sauce base)
- Chicken or turkey thighs — 1.2 kg (meat)
- 70% dark chocolate — 40 g (body and bitterness)
- Blanched almonds + sesame + peanuts — 50 g + 2 tbsp + 30 g (thickener)
- Cinnamon, 2 cloves, 1 burnt tortilla (or bread slice) — 1 stick (aroma, controlled bitterness)
- Canned tomatillos + tomatoes — 200 g + 2 (acidity, binding)
- Poultry broth — 1 L (sauce thinning)
Method
- Poach the poultry in salted water with onion and garlic; reserve meat and broth.
- Seed and dry-toast the chiles in a hot pan without burning, then soak in hot water for 20 minutes.
- Separately toast almonds, peanuts, sesame, spices, and lightly burn the tortilla/bread (this is the signature bitterness).
- Blend the drained chiles with seeds, nuts, spices, tomatillos, and tomatoes into a smooth paste (strain if needed).
- Fry the paste in a little hot oil until it darkens, add the chocolate, gradually thin with broth.
- Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes, season with salt, then add the poultry meat to warm through. Serve with rice and tortillas.
How it was made : In Frida's time, everything went through the metate, the three-legged grinding stone, and clay comales for toasting. The markets of Coyoacán sold dried chiles by variety and pile. Mole is still prepared communally, with women taking turns at the grinding.
The contemporary twist : Drizzle a few spoonfuls of mole in a dark swoosh on the white plate, sprinkle with toasted sesame: a nod to the contrasts in her self-portraits.
Sources : Guadalupe Rivera & Marie-Pierre Colle, *Frida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo*, 1994
Frida Kahlo · Charactorium
