History
Mole rojo is the peppery-red sibling to coloradito, with chilhuacle rojo replacing some of the ancho and a heavier hand on the garlic and cinnamon. Less famous than negro or coloradito, rojo appears on the seven-mole tasting platters at Los Pacos and Catedral, and is the canonical pork-or-chicken Sunday mole in Sierra Sur villages.
Book a food experience
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Common allergens: Sesame, Wheat (tortilla)
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 6 ancho chiles, seeded
- 4 guajillo chiles, seeded
- 2 chilhuacle rojo chiles (or pasilla as substitute), seeded
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion, charred
- 2 tomatoes, charred
- 40g sesame seeds, toasted
- 30g almonds, toasted
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 3 black peppercorns
- 800ml chicken stock
- 20g Oaxacan chocolate
- 800g chicken or pork, cut for serving
- Salt
Method
- Toast the chiles and soak in hot water 20 minutes.
- Char the tomatoes, onion and garlic on the comal.
- Blend chiles, charred vegetables, sesame, almonds and spices into a paste.
- Fry the paste in 50ml lard 15 minutes.
- Add stock; simmer 45 minutes.
- Stir in chocolate, adjust salt; add cooked chicken or pork to warm through.
Tip from the editors. Add the chocolate after the chiles have toasted, otherwise the sweetness flattens the chile-rojo brightness.
Where to eat mole rojo
Mole rojo in Oaxaca
Los Pacos ★ 4.2
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.
Restaurante Catedral ★ 4.2
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.
Ancestral Cocina Tradicional ★ 4.5
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.
Las Quince Letras ★ 4.4
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.
More cities are in research. Want mole rojo covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.