← Back to recipes

mole-con-arroz-rojo

I am on a mission to find the greatest version of chicken and rice, if such even exists. We now travel to Mexico, where we experience mole con arroz rojo. The chilies of the day are guajillo, ancho, y arbol. After we de-stem and de-seed them, we fry in oil before covering in boiling water to soften. Chicken sears off in that oil until it’s nice and golden brown then we do the same with some corn tortillas–this’ll help thicken the sauce when we blend it. The mole sauce gets onion, garlic, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, raisins, black pepper, clove, and cumin. As everybody is getting nice and toasty we char up tomatoes then add them along with everything from before. The chili water and chicken stock help to loosen and peanut butter introduces some fatty creaminess. Finally we blend it all up then add the dark chocolate, the secret ingredient of mole. Season to taste with salt before laying in the chicken to slow cook in that rich, luxurious sauce. On to the arroz rojo. We toast our rice til nice and golden then blend together tomato, onion, and garlic with tomato paste and water. Our rice cooks in that goodness with salt to taste and a jalapeño to spice it up. This was a reminder that I don’t eat enough Mole. It’s dark, rich, nutty, and so complex and the tomato and garlic in the rice helped to brighten it all up and bring balance. I give it a 9 out of 10.

Ingredients