Recipe: Mole tamales

Mole tamales

About 2 hours. Makes about 20 tamales.

MOLE

2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, quartered

½ cup water

1 pound mole negro paste, preferably from Guelaguetza

2 cups chicken broth

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Oaxacan chocolate (brown sugar can be substituted), grated

1. Place the tomatoes and water in a medium pot and boil for 20 minutes; the tomatoes will be very soft and almost falling apart. Remove from heat and puree; the puree will be somewhat thick.

2. Strain the tomatoes back into the pot, discarding the seeds, and stir in the mole paste until the paste is fully incorporated.

3. Heat the mole mixture over medium heat and stir in the chicken broth, salt and chocolate until dissolved. Increase the heat, stirring constantly, until the mole comes to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

TAMALES

About 1 1/4 cups (¼ kg) lard

4 pounds, 6 ounces (2 kg) freshly prepared masa for tamales

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup salted water (salted with 2 tablespoons sea salt)

2 to 3 pounds banana leaves, boiled for 8 to 10 minutes to soften

Prepared mole

2 pounds shredded cooked chicken

1. Beat the lard vigorously until soft, then add the masa and baking powder until fully incorporated. Slowly stir in the water, a little at a time, until the masa is smooth and soft, and will spread easily onto a banana leaf.

2. Pat the leaves dry and cut into rectangles approximately 12 inches by 10 inches.

3. Smear about 3/4 cup of masa across each square and place a generous ¼ cup of chicken and 3 to 4 tablespoons mole right in the middle of the tamal.

4. Fold the tamale: Fold the lower, then upper thirds of the tamale lengthwise over the center and filling, then fold the two sides in to form a packet. Repeat with all of the tamales.

5. Steam the tamales until the masa in the center is fully cooked (it will peel away from the banana leaves without sticking), about one hour. Serve hot.

Each of 20 tamales

Calories 459

Protein 10 grams

Carbohydrates 28 grams

Fiber 3 grams

Fat 34 grams

Saturated fat 13 grams

Cholesterol 53 mg

Sugar 2 grams

Sodium 359 mg

Note: Guelaguetza’s mole is available through the restaurant as well as online; black mole is available in the Latin sections of most well-stocked supermarkets, as well as at Latin markets and online. Freshly prepared masa and Oaxacan chocolate is available at many Latin markets; the chocolate can also be found online.