Lightly spicy, lightly chocolatey, real mole sauce is an extremely complex taste that is a million miles away from any mole you’ve had at a cheap chain mexican restaurant or from a bottle.  It’s as different as a great steak is from a McDonalds burger patty.

This recipe might be the most complex of any I’ll ever post on this blog.  It has a ton of ingredients, and a ton of steps — but don’t let that scare you.  It’s not difficult and it’s time extremely well-spent.  This makes a huge batch of sauce that freezes very well and goes on just about everything, from seafood to red meat to plain on a spoon.

Real mole takes time and love, and you’ll need lots of both.  But I promise you won’t regret it.

Ready?  Here we go…

Toast in a frying pan, then grind until fine:

• 1.5 tsp coriander seeds
• 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
• 1.5 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Then grab…

• 12 assorted dried chilies (I used ancho)
• 1 dried chipotle chili

… and toast them for 2-3 mins in your stove, or on a pan. Using scissors, cut them open and discard all their seeds, then chop roughly and place in a bowl with boiling water for 30 mins. (Random pro tip: the seeds are what make them spicy, so if you want hotter, keep some of the seeds.)

In a large saucepan, heat…

• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic

… over medium-high for 5-6 mins until soft.

Then add the following to the saucepan:

• Your ground spices (made above)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 small (4 oz) can green chilies
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

It should look weirdly like … I dunno, almost like granola. Stir and let simmer for 2-3 mins.

Then add…

• Your chilies from above (drained)
• 2 cups chicken broth/stock (veggie stock is fine if vegetarian)
• 1/2 cup raisins

(Note: don’t leave the raisins out in an attempt to make this lower-carb.  They really contribute to the flavour, and, as you’ll see from the carb count below, don’t add too much carb overhead.)

Stir to combine.

Then pour into your blender or food processor, in batches if necessary, and blend until very smooth. Pour into a new large saucepan (or clean the old one).

Bring to a simmer and add…

• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Simmer for 30 mins. Stir frequently until the chocolate melts, then you only need to occasionally. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and add a dash of acid (lemon juice, wine, sherry vinegar, etc.) if needed.

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 7 days, or freeze immediately.  I like to freeze it in 3-4 serving smaller jars, and move them to the fridge as I want them.

Total carbs (per 1/15th of recipe — several large spoonfuls): 7.1g carbs (9.1g total – 2.0g fiber).