Frijoles Negros con Mole
Mole is a favorite sauce of mine; it’s so rich, it’s not an everyday sauce for me. Come fall and winter it’s perfect for hearty and comforting dinner. I’d accompany it with flour tortillas.
Here’s how to make make this recipe quickly.. Use canned black beans and store-bought mole paste. Paste is turned into a sauce by dissolving with broth and cooking for a few minutes – DONE. However, I provide instructions for how to cook black beans from scratch. Let’s get started
Ingredients for 4 servings
½ lb black beans, washed and drained & 1 clove garlic
or
1 – 15oz can black beans
3 tablespoons store bought red mole paste (I prefer mole negro)
¾ cup chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, roasted
Salt
Optional
4 eggs
4 tablespoons sour cream
Mole Preparation
Place the sesame seeds in a small pan and roast the seeds with a medium low flame. Frequently stir the seeds until golden and set aside. Sesame seeds will later be sprinkled as a garnish.
Place the mole paste in a sauté pan. Use a wooden spoon or stiff spatula to breakup the paste. Add broth in small amounts and simmer until thickened where it slowly runs off the spoon; about 10 minutes.
Set aside.
Bean Preparation
Skip this step if you choose to use canned beans.
Spread the beans on a flat surface and inspect and remove any debris and broken beans, then wash them in water and drain. Place the beans in a 4 quart sauce pan, add 1 smashed garlic clove and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a very low simmer, cover and cook for about 2 hours or until beans are soft. Periodically check the water level and add hot water as necessary. Salt the beans to taste.
Plating instructions
Optionally, fry eggs and keep warm.
Use a slotted spoon to slightly drain the beans while adding them to bowls. Generously cover the beans with mole and sprinkle sesame seeds over each bowl. Optionally, place eggs and a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
Moles are quite complex, sometimes made with 25 ingredients or more. UNESCO has designated Mexican cuisine as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage” and mole is a “plato nacional” (National dish).
The term Mole originates from the Náhuatl language. Molli o mulli refers to any thick sauce based of chili and spices. It’s a fusion of spices of the New and Old worlds. The Spanish introduced spices like clove, cinnamon, anise and almonds. Chili, tomato, cacao, plantain and pumpkin seeds are native to Mexico.
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