Eclipse Mole Paste
Mole negro is Oaxaca's most complex sauce — 30+ ingredients, days of preparation. This simplified version uses Eclipse eggplant as the base instead of multiple dried chili varieties. The eggplant's natural creaminess creates body while delivering 250,000 SHU.
Prep
30 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 hr 15 min
Servings
12
Peak SHU
250K
Featured Organisms
Ingredients
- 2 Eclipse eggplants (SS-EGG-03), roasted and peeled
- 2 oz dark chocolate (70%+)
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 dried ancho chili, rehydrated
- 4 cloves garlic, roasted
- 1 onion, charred
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cloves
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Salt
Instructions
- 1
Toast sesame seeds and spices in a dry pan.
- 2
Blend roasted eggplant, chocolate, sesame seeds, ancho, garlic, onion, and spices with 1 cup broth.
- 3
Transfer to a saucepan and simmer, adding remaining broth gradually, for 30 min.
- 4
Season with salt. The mole should coat the back of a spoon.
- 5
Use as a braising sauce for chicken or pour over enchiladas.
Tips
- Nightshade eggplant (50K SHU) for a milder mole.
- The paste freezes beautifully — make a large batch.
Chocolate's theobromine and eggplant's capsaicin both bind lipids. The mole's fat content (from sesame and chocolate) creates a matrix that releases both compounds slowly across the palate, producing the long, evolving finish that defines great mole.