Mole? Adobo? Pipian?


 

JimT

TVWBB Pro
I was inspired by John Solak's Chicken Mole thread, so I went looking. Around here, I found two brands of Mole; Dona Maria and Rogelio Bueno.

Checking the ingredients list, they seem to be two vastly different products. The Dona Maria lists chile peppers as the first ingredient, the "Bueno" lists sesame seed. To further complicate things, "Bueno" also makes something called Adobo, which appears to be identical to the Mole, and Pipian which sounds like it could be the same (I didn't buy a bottle, and don't recall the exact ingredients.)

Can anyone educate me on the differences/similarities?

Thanks,

JimT
 
I don't know the differences, I've used both and prefer Rogelio Bueno. I think the Adobo is a little spicier than Mole but cannot remember.

I've made homemade Mole and for my taste buds this stuff is almost as good and much easier. Mix it with some chicken stock and sugar and you're golden. Put it on anything, chicken, enchiladas your cheerios, forget about it, Love the stuff.
 
Adobo is a chile-based marinade or sauce. It usually contains vinegar and aromatics (onion, garlic), and may contain herbs and spices, the variety dependent on the application.

Moles are sauces that are usually chile-based (though not always - pipián is a pumpkin seed-based mole) and are made by grinding all or most of the ingredients, many of which are toasted first. Like nearly all Mexican sauces, moles are designed to be eaten on their own even though they are not often served that way. (Pipián is typically paired with chicken.)

Moles tend toward the complex and this is due to either the number of different ingredients (some moles have long ingredient lists), the variety and combining of distinct ingredients, and the toasting, which adds flavor depth. It is important that the finished sauce be balanced.

Moles are typically made in just the amounts needed for the particular meal in question. Made in excess, unused sauce will become unbalanced in fairly short order as the dried chilies (in particular) in the mix overwhelm the other flavors, and as other flavors lose potency. The best way to prevent this is to freeze excess freshly made mole.

The dried pastes in jars (or paste bases one makes) are usually serviceable for longer than a fresh sauce but still become unbalanced over time, requiring the cook to taste and make needed adjustments when the paste is reconstituted/thinned.

For one version of a complex mole that takes a little time but is not at all difficult to make see here (scroll down to below the enchilada sauces).

If you're interested in making a pipián, this version is easy and results in a sauce that is lighter and fresher than one made from a store-bought paste:

4 cups chicken stock

1 large white onion, sliced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/2 large carrot, scraped, coarsely chopped

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 slightly heaping cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds - available in Mexican markets or the Mexican section of most supermarkets)

12 large sprigs cilantro, coarsely chopped

3 small romaine leaves, coarsely chopped

2 large radish leaves, coarsely chopped (optional,; but if you can buy radishes with leaves on do so)

2 small jalapeños, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil


Put the stock, half the onion, half the garlic, all the carrot, the bay leaves, thyme and marjoram in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, then simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, uncovered, 5 minutes. Strain, discarding the solids; reserve.

Meanwhile, in a large dry skillet over medium-high heat, spread out the pumpkin seeds and toast, stirring often, till the seeds pop (they'll go from flat to rounded) and become lightly browned, about 5 minutes. (Do not let the seeds get too browned or they will become bitter.) Dump onto the counter or a platter to cool.

In a blender, combine the seeds with the rest on the onion, the remaining garlic, the cilantro and romaine, the radish leaves (if using), and the jalapeños. Pulse a few times to mix, scrape down the sides, then add 1.5 cups of the stock and purée well, scraping down the sides if needed.

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat then add the purée to the pot. Stirring very frequently, cook the purée till very thick, about 10 minutes, then add 2 more cups of the stock and stir well. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

In batches, purée the sauce again till smooth, adding a little more stock (only if needed) to thin to a medium consistency. Pour into a wide lidded pan, taste, and adjust salt. When your grilled, roasted or smoked chicken is done, heat the sauce over low heat then add the chicken to the pan. Heat without allowing the sauce to simmer (lest the chicken overcook), about 5-10 minutes, then remove the chicken for service, stirring the sauce to mix in any chicken juices. Nap the chicken with the sauce; serve.
 
Call this what you will, but I slapped it together two nights ago and enjoyed every bit of it.

salt/brown 1 lb cubed chuck (in bacon fat if possible)
Sweat 1/4 diced onion and 1-2 minced cloves of garlic
add 2-3 tbs of tomato paste and...
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground chipotle
3 tsp ground ancho
1/4 tsp ceylon cinnamon
2 ground cloves
1-2 tsp ground mexican chocolate

throw the meat back in, top off with beer and simmer until tender.

I was riffing off a bayless recipe for carne colorado, and just trying to hit some notes that I like from mole poblano. I think it came out more like chili, or a way simplified mole, but it was fun to make and came out nice.
 

 

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