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Known as the land of the seven moles, Oaxaca’s crown jewel is without a doubt Mole Negro. A dark smoky, slightly bitter, and incredibly rich sauce is paired with cauliflower in the vegan version.
Don’t let the ingredient list for this black mole scare you. Mole is quite simple to make, it’s only a little time consuming, but it is the combination of ingredients such as chile chilhuacle rojo and negro, chile mulato
, chile pasilla
, burnt tortilla, peanuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds, and chocolate that makes this dish so unique.
This particular version a little bit non traditional since it substitutes coconut oil for lard, goji berries for raisins, and has the addition of turmeric. All beautiful ingredients that serve to enrich the sauce while keeping its authentic flavor.
Our Vegan Mexico Project
This recipe is part of an amazing project called Our Vegan Mexico, where 32 talented cooks will be showcasing, right here on Dora’s Table, 32 vegan Mexican recipes. Each recipe will be representing one state of the Mexican union.
With this project, I am hoping to encourage the Mexican community in the U.S., and the people of my country to take a chance and make the change to a plant-based diet. This recipe, which is representing the state of Oaxaca, is the creation of Fernanda Alvarez from @lahealthymexicana here she tells you a bit of her story.
Fernanda’s Story:
I was proudly born and raised in Mexico. Five years ago I arrived in the United States and I now call it my home. I am passionate about sharing health and well being through food, and I am a firm believer that you don’t need to consume animals, that what is needed is more superfoods, and more home-cooked meals.
When I was 15 years old I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, but for a long time, I had been living with food intolerances that did not allow me to live a happy life.
When I discovered and experienced that I could heal everything that was keeping me from living a healthy life with food, I decided to share it with the world so I could help other people live longer and better lives regardless of their intolerance or illness while at the same time nourishing themselves with delicious food.
The Recipe: Oaxacan Mole Negro
- If you can’t find hazelnuts you can use almonds
- You can also use cranberries instead of goji berries
- If you are gluten-free, you can use gluten-free bread instead.
- You can also serve your cauliflower enmoladas with this almond crema.
- Chile chilhuacle is a chile native to Oaxaca that is hard to find out of the state. I order mine from here.
- If you want to make this without oil you can toast all the ingredients in a dry pan, and instead of frying the sauce you can simmer it.
Oaxacan Mole Negro Cauliflower Enmoladas
Ingredients
- 2 cups Extra virgin coconut oil
- 1 cup Chile chilhuacle negro dried
- 1 cup Chile chilhuacle rojo
- 1 cup Chile Mulato
- 1 cup Chile Pasilla
- ¼ cup Sesame seeds
- ¼ cup Peanuts raw
- ¼ cup Pecans raw
- ½ cup Hazelnuts raw
- ¼ cup Pepitas pumpkin seeds, raw
- 2 Corn tortillas
- 3 Slices whole wheat bread
- 2 Large red onions
- 4 Garlic cloves peeled
- 2 Ripe plantains peeled
- ¼ cup Goji berries
- 8 Plum tomatoes cut into dice
- 10 Tomatillos husks removed, cut into dice
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. Dried oregano
- 1 tsp.Dried thyme
- 1 tsp. Ground ginger
- 1 tsp. Ground cumin
- 1 tsp. Ground turmeric
- 5 Whole cloves
- 5 Whole allspice
- ¼ cup Coconut sugar
- 1 cup Dark chocolate dairy-free
- 4 Avocado leaves toasted
To Serve:
- 10 corn tortillas
- 1 Large head of cauliflower
- ¼ cup Coconut oil extra virgin
- Sea salt
- 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp. Ground cumin
Pickled Red Onions:
- 1 Large red onin
- 2 Limes juiced
- 2 tbsp. water
- 1 tsp. Oregano
Crema:
- 1 cup Sunflower seeds hulled, raw
- 1 ½ cups Water
- 1 tsp. Sea salt
- 1 Lime juiced
- 1 tsp. Nutritional yeast
Instructions
To make the crema:
- Fill a large glass container with water and add the sunflower seeds. Let them soak overnight in the refrigerator. (Preferably one day before you make the mole.)
- Drain the seeds.
- Place the sunflower seeds, water, salt, lime juice, and nutritional yeast in the blender and process until smooth.
- You can adjust the lime and salt to taste or even add some other spice like jalapeño, ginger, turmeric or nutmeg.
To Make the Mole:
- Set a large sauté pan to medium-high heat add all the chiles (stems and seeds removed), and toast lightly on both sides. Transfer to a bowl with cold water and set aside for later.
- In a large pot or wok, add 1 cup of coconut oil and heat to medium heat. Add sesame seeds, peanuts, nuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, bread, tortilla, onion, garlic, plantain slices, and goji berries. Add them one at a time until they are a deep golden brown, then remove them from the pan, set them aside, and add the next ingredient.
- Add the diced tomatoes and tomatillos to the pot, season them with salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, ground ginger, cumin, clove, turmeric, and allspice, cook until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Place all the fried ingredients plus the drained dried chiles in the blender, and process until smooth. Strain this mixture.
- Heat a large pot to medium heat and add the remaining 1 cup of coconut oil, fry the sauce for 5 minutes and add the 5 cups of vegetable broth.
- Add the coconut sugar, chocolate, and avocado leaves (previously toasted). Simmer for 45 min at medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid sticking.
- While de mole is simmering, cut the cauliflower in small florets and sauté it with a little bit of coconut oil. Seasons with cumin, paprika, and salt to taste. Cover and let it pan steam for about 10 minutes or until tender. Add a little bit of water to the pan if necessary.
- Prepare the crema (instructions above) and marinate the red onion with the lime juice, water, and oregano.
- Fill the tortillas (heat them up for a couple of seconds in the microwave so they are easy to fold), and fold them in half.
- Pour the finished mole
sauce on top of the folded tortillas and drizzle some crema, and top with
pickled red onions.
Notes
• You can also use cranberries instead of goji berries
• If you are gluten free, you can use gluten-free bread instead.
• You can also serve your cauliflower enmoladas with this almond crema.
, which are sun-dried seaweed flakes rich in fiber, protein, vitamin B12, and omega-3.
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