Mole manchamanteles ("tablecloth stainer") is the fruity-sweet mole with pineapple, plantain, apple and ancho chile, named for the tablecloth stains it leaves.

Mole manchamanteles is the fruity-sweet mole, made with pineapple, plantain, apple, sweet potato and ancho chiles. It is the rarest mole at restaurant level (often replaced by coloradito) but appears on the seven-mole tasting platters at Catedral, Los Pacos and Ancestral. The Spanish name refers to the dramatic red-orange stains it leaves on the tablecloth.

Where to eat Mole manchamanteles in Oaxaca

4 editor picks for Mole manchamanteles in Oaxaca, ranked by editorial score. All Oaxaca signature dishes · Mole manchamanteles across every city.

Book food experiences in Oaxaca

See all 1144 food experiences in Oaxaca

Make it at home

Serves 42 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 8 ancho chiles, seeded
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 tomatoes, charred
  • 1 ripe plantain, sliced
  • 1 apple, peeled
  • 250g fresh pineapple
  • 1 small sweet potato, cubed
  • 30g sesame seeds, toasted
  • 30g almonds
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves
  • 800ml chicken stock
  • 800g chicken, cut for serving
  • Salt

Method

  1. Toast the chiles and soak in hot water 20 minutes.
  2. Char the tomatoes, onion and garlic.
  3. Blend chiles, charred vegetables, plantain, apple, half the pineapple, sesame, almonds and spices into a paste.
  4. Fry the paste in 40ml lard 15 minutes.
  5. Add stock, the sweet potato cubes and remaining pineapple; simmer 30 minutes.
  6. Add chicken; braise 30 minutes; adjust salt.

Editor tip. The fruit should be slightly tart, not over-ripe; the chile balance falls apart with too much sugar.

Common allergens: Sesame, Wheat (tortilla).