Ingredients
Meat
- 1.2 kgpork shoulder, in large cubes
- 1onion
- 1 headgarlic, halved
- 2 litreswater
- salt
Green base
- 700 gtomatillos, husked
- 3jalapeños or serranos
- 1onion
- 4 clovesgarlic
Seeds
- 250 graw hulled pumpkin seeds, pepitas
- 50 graw sesame seeds, optional
Herbs
- 1large bunch coriander
- 1large bunch flat parsley
- 6leaves hoja santa
- 6epazote leaves
- 6romaine or radish leaves
Also
- 3 tbsplard or oil
- 1 tspground cumin
- 4cloves
- salt
To serve
- white rice
- corn tortillas
Directions
- Simmer the pork with the onion, halved garlic head and salt for about an hour until tender, then lift it out and keep the broth. You will need a great deal of that broth, so do not throw any of it away.
- Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat, shaking constantly. They will start to pop and jump in the pan, which is what should happen.
- Toast them only until they puff and turn pale gold, not until they brown. Let them cool completely before grinding. Grind the toasted seeds to a fine powder or a smooth paste, adding a little broth if needed. Grind them as finely as your machine will manage.
- Simmer the tomatillos, chillies, onion and garlic in water for 10 minutes until the tomatillos soften and turn olive green. Do not overcook the tomatillos. Blend the tomatillos, chillies, onion and garlic with the fresh herbs and the cumin and cloves. Blend the herbs raw and blend them last, so the green stays bright.
- Heat the lard in a heavy pot until it shimmers, then pour in the blended green purée all at once, standing back. Frying the purée in hot fat is the standard Mexican step of cooking a sauce, and it deepens the flavour considerably.
- Cook it, stirring, for 10 minutes until it darkens slightly and thickens. From this moment on, never let the sauce boil. Keep it at a bare shiver, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes until it thickens to coat a spoon.
- Stir it without stopping, because ground seed catches on the base of the pot within seconds. Return the pork, season with salt, and warm it through gently for 10 minutes. Serve with white rice and warm tortillas, spooning plenty of sauce over. It is the freshest and greenest of the moles and it does not keep, so it is made and eaten the same day.
Technique
- The green fades within hours, which is why it is served immediately rather than made ahead.
- Chicken is used as often as pork and cooks in half the time.
- Hoja santa and epazote are sold fresh or dried in Mexican shops.
Substitutions
- Chicken thighs in place of pork.
- Extra coriander and a little fennel frond in place of hoja santa, which is a compromise rather than a match.
Variations
- Made with chicken.
- With white beans or chochoyotes, masa dumplings, instead of meat.
- Pipián verde, essentially the same sauce under another name.
History
A pipian-style sauce from Oaxaca and Puebla thickened with ground pumpkin seeds, a technique documented in Mesoamerican cooking before the conquest.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mole verde?
Mole verde is a main from Mexico: bright green mole of tomatillo, pumpkin seed and hoja santa with pork. A pipian-style sauce from Oaxaca and Puebla thickened with ground pumpkin seeds, a technique documented in Mesoamerican cooking before the conquest.
How long does Mole verde take to make?
Mole verde takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Mole verde?
Yes, within limits. Chicken thighs in place of pork. Extra coriander and a little fennel frond in place of hoja santa, which is a compromise rather than a match.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mole verde?
Simmer the pork with the onion, halved garlic head and salt for about an hour until tender, then lift it out and keep the broth. You will need a great deal of that broth, so do not throw any of it away.
