History

Mole coloradito was historically a celebration mole for weddings and baptisms, lighter than negro and quicker to make. The Casa Oaxaca and Las Quince Letras versions stay closest to the convent-kitchen original, with ancho, guajillo and a touch of chilhuacle red giving it a brick-red colour. Many Oaxacan home cooks make it weekly from a Mercado de Abastos mole-paste base, served over enmoladas with shredded chicken and queso fresco for Sunday lunch.

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Common allergens: Nuts, Sesame, Wheat (tortilla)

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 1 hrTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 8 ancho chiles, seeded
  • 4 guajillo chiles, seeded
  • 2 chipotle chiles
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 small onion, charred
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 40g sesame seeds, toasted
  • 40g almonds, toasted
  • 1 small ripe plantain
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves
  • 30g Oaxacan chocolate
  • 1L chicken stock
  • Salt and a pinch of sugar
  • 1kg chicken, cooked and shredded
  • Tortillas to serve

Method

  1. Toast the chiles on a comal and soak in hot water 20 minutes.
  2. Char the onion, garlic and tomatoes on the comal.
  3. Toast the sesame and almonds; reserve.
  4. Blend the chiles, charred vegetables, seeds, almonds, plantain and spices into a thick paste.
  5. Fry the paste in 50ml lard 15 minutes until it darkens.
  6. Add stock; simmer 45 minutes.
  7. Add chocolate; adjust salt and sugar; simmer 15 minutes.
  8. Roll the shredded chicken in tortillas, dip in the sauce and plate as enmoladas.

Tip from the editors. Don't skip the plantain: it carries the natural sweetness that distinguishes coloradito from negro.

Where to eat mole coloradito

Mole coloradito in Oaxaca

Las Quince Letras ★ 4.4

$$$$ Tasting $700 to $1,100MexicanCentro HistoricoChef Celia Florian

Las Quince Letras is Celia Florian's women-owned mole room since 1992 near Santo Domingo, where the mole negro runs more than thirty ingredients.

Book1 week ahead

TipOrder the duo-de-moles or trio-de-moles to see the kitchen's range across three sauces in one sitting.

Directions Book

Restaurante Catedral ★ 4.2

$$$$ Tasting $650 to $950MexicanCentro HistoricoChef Catedral kitchen team

Restaurante Catedral one block from the cathedral runs a generous courtyard with live music and a seven-moles menu (negro, chichilo, amarillo, verde).

Book1 week ahead

TipTuesdays closed; the moles oaxaquenos platter for two is the standard ask. Live music after 8pm most nights.

Directions

Los Pacos ★ 4.2

$$$$ Tasting $600 to $900MexicanCentro HistoricoChef Pablo Manzano

Los Pacos on Abasolo with a rooftop terrace runs seven moles on one tasting board for the canonical mole-flight of the city across two sittings daily.

Book1 week ahead

TipSkip mains and order the moles-de-Oaxaca tasting plate; bring an appetite and a friend to share the seven.

Directions Book

Ancestral Cocina Tradicional ★ 4.5

$$ MexicanXochimilco

Ancestral in Xochimilco is the thatched-roof grove on Lopez Alavez, well away from Centro tourist flow, with the seven-moles tasting platter as the headline.

Why locals goIn Barrio de Xochimilco, the weaving quarter most tourists never reach; thatched-roof grove.

TipTake a taxi (the Lopez Alavez block is a steep climb); book the moles tasting for two.

Directions

La Olla ★ 4.3

$$ $150-$280 MXNBrunchTraditional Oaxacan breakfastCentro Historico

La Olla on Reforma serves the long Oaxacan breakfast (huevos divorciados, chilaquiles verdes, mole-and-egg plates) in the converted-house dining rooms.

OrderHuevos divorciados with mole verde and mole amarillo

Directions

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