Mole de Olla Mexi-rean Style

This is a variation that highlights two of my major culinary influences: the cuisines of Korea and Mexico. Both use a lot of chilis, zucchini, onion, garlic, and herbs.

This particular dish tastes like the Korean dish yookkae jang, but instead of dried ground chili powder (kochu karu) it uses pureed dried chilis. I Korean-ized it by making it spicier and thicker than I've seen it served in Mexican restaurants. It's about the same consistency as a chiggae, a boiled, stew-ish like dish, typical of Korean home cooking with a complex flavor base.

The only versions of mole de olla I've had the opportunity to try have been from restaurants (besides my own homemade one). I'm partial to Coatzingo's on Roosevelt Avenue between 79th & 80th Streets. I would definitely welcome any invitations from 'real' Mexicans out there to sample theirs. hint, hint.)

I started with the recipe from this blog post, but I used some Korean techniques to make it "cleaner". For instance, soaking the blood from the beef ribs first reduces the foam and some of the grease. I also made it easier to eat by trimming the meat from the bone, and the fat from the meat. I traded the cilantro for epazote. (According to some, celery is not authentic, but when I make a stock, it's nearly automatic to use it, so I did.)

4 pounds beef chuck short ribs
1 + 1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, chopped into 1/2 in disks
2 celery stalks
3 plum tomatoes diced into 8 pieces
4 + 4 garlic cloves, 4 crushed, 4 whole
1/4 tsp of ground cloves
Some corn on the cob, each one cut into thirds
2-3 potatoes, diced into small pieces so they will cook as quickly as the other vegetables
1/2 lb string beans, trimmed and cut into 2 or 3 pieces
3 zucchini, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
One bunch of epazote

Some dried arbol and guajillo chilis. The arbol adds heat and the guajillo add a deep earthy flavor. The number of each you use depends on how spicy you like it. The chiles are the main flavoring for this soup though, so don’t go light.

salt to taste

For serving: tortillas, rice lime wedges, radishes, chopped onion, cilantro

Soak the ribs in cold water, changing the water several times, to leach the blood out.

Simmer the short ribs in water uncovered with half of the epazote, onion, carrot, and celery for 2 hours.

While the ribs are cooking, make the salsa roja.

Soak the dried guajillos in hot water for a few minutes, to reconstitute them a little. Stem and seed them. Cut the tops off of the arbol chilis and shake out as many seeds as possible. Put in the soaking water with the guajillos. After about 15 minutes, remove from water and place in a blender with the tomatoes, the chopped 1/2 onion, the whole garlic, the rest of the epazote, and cloves. Blend until smooth with the water from the soaking chilis.

Remove the epazote and celery. Discard. Skim grease from the surface of the stock.

Take out the ribs and separate the meat from the bones, slice the meat into large pieces, against the grain. Remove and discard any large chunks of fat. Put the bones and meat back into the pot. (When you serve, do not serve the bones, of course.)

Add the salsa to the simmering stock to taste. Adjust the salt. Cover.

Simmer the salsa with the ribs for 30 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the pot. Gently simmer for another 30 minutes.

Taste the stew, and adjust seasoning. If it’s not spicy enough, add more salsa. If it’s spicy enough but not balanced, add some lime juice; the citric acid will lift the flavors.

To serve, ladle the stew into bowls. Serve the tortillas on side plates with a couple lime wedges, some chopped onion, and radish slices, and maybe some chopped cilantro.

The best way to eat mole is to cut off some short rib meat with a spoon, wrap it in a tortilla with some onion and radish, and dip the whole in the soup to moisten it with the fiery flavor.