Roasted pumpkin seeds are a key ingredient in Mexican mole sauce.
Much like traditional marinara sauce for Italians, the Mexican mole sauce is something personal to many families, each with slightly different recipes and techniques. The key to a successful mole is to dry roast ingredients in a hot pan first to coax out flavors.
Types
Traditional mole sauces include verde, rojo and negro. These sauces all use roasted pumpkin seeds among other ingredients. Common ingredients for all mole sauces include dried red chilies, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, Serrano chilies, oregano, cilantro, pepper, salt and chicken stock.
Variations
Verde, or green, mole sauces include blended greens such as Swiss chard, parsley and lettuce. Mole negro adds Mexican chocolate along with chili peppers and traditional spices. Rojo, or red, mole also uses chocolate along with tomatoes and onions. Each type of sauce has its own complex flavor, according to the Recipes for the Family website. All kinds are most commonly served as a stew-like dish with meat or vegetables.
Cooking Method
Home cooks individually roast each type of seed in a skillet, preferably cast iron, before grinding them together, traditionally with a mortar and pestle called a molcajete. The peppers must also be roasted in the oven then blended to create a pepper puree. After all of the prep work, cooks combine the various ingredients with the chicken stock in a large pot, where it simmers for at least an hour.
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