Alexa Soto's Mole with Mushrooms

A plate with mole topped with mushrooms and sesame seeds

July 24, 2023

Confession: this luxuriously silky mole from Chef en Residencia Alexa Soto was so delicious, multiple Masienda team members fought over the leftovers from our video shoot. (Don't worry, we're all still friends.) It's the kind of dish you want to have for lunch and then again for dinner. While the recipe works with any vegetable or protein, the earthiness of seared oyster mushrooms makes for an ideal pairing, and the mole is so rich, you won't miss the meat.

In typical mole recipe fashion, the ingredient list is long, but the effort is decidedly worth it. This is a show-stopping recipe that you'll come back to again and again.

Mole ingredients

Mole with Sauteed Oyster Mushrooms

Alexa Soto

Rated 3.7 stars by 118 users

Ingredients

4 pasilla-ancho chile pods
2 guajillo chile pods
2 1/2 cups (20 fl ounces) low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
8 corn tortillas
1/2 ripe plantain, yellow with black spots
1/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons peanuts
2 tablespoons raw almonds
1/4 cup pecans
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 small cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
5 whole black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tablet chocolate (Ibarra or Abuelita)
Sea salt
Neutral oil, such as avocado
1 lb oyster mushrooms

Directions

Heat a large skillet to medium-high and add the whole de-seeded chiles (reserving the seeds for a later step). Cook for 20 seconds on each side, then add the toasted chiles to a large bowl and turn off heat.
Cover the chiles with 1 ½ cups hot vegetable broth.
To a large, deep pan over medium-low heat, add 2 tablespoons neutral oil then add in roughly chopped onion and whole garlic cloves. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until everything is golden and slightly charred. Remove the onions and garlic and add to a large bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and cook tortillas for 1-2 minutes on each side until they get golden and slightly charred. Remove from pan and add to the large bowl.
Add another 1-2 tablespoons oil then cook plantain 2 minutes on each side until golden, caramelized and slightly charred. Remove from pan and add to bowl.
Cook raisins for 30 seconds, then remove and add to bowl.
Cook peanuts, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, whole cloves, peppercorns and continuously mix and cook for 3 minutes or until golden.
Transfer the nut, spice and seed mixture to the large bowl, also adding the dried oregano, dried thyme and ground cumin to the bowl.
Adding 2 tablespoon oil to the pan, cook the seeds from the chiles. Continuously stir the seeds in the oil and cook until the seeds turn black. Turn off the heat and add to the bowl.
Add half the amount of chiles with all of their soaking liquid to a blender along with half the amount of mole ingredients from the large bowl. Blend on high until smooth.
Set a large pot or very deep pan to medium-low heat and add 2 tbsp oil. Pour in the blended mole. To the blender add the remaining chiles and other remaining ingredients from the bowl along with 1 cup vegetable broth and blend until smooth. Then pour into the pot, simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the chocolate tablets and a good pinch of salt to the pan. Mix well and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, stirring every minute. The mole will thicken as it simmers. You can add more vegetable broth or water to help loosen the mole.
Heat a large clean skillet to medium-high and add 2 tbsp neutral oil.
Spread the mushrooms out in a single layer in the pan. Cook, undisturbed for 3-5 minutes until they start to brown.
Turn the mushrooms over and cook for another 3-5 minutes until browned on the reverse side. Season with salt.
To serve, spoon mole onto plate or bowl, top with seared mushrooms (garnishing with sesame seeds if you’d like) alongside corn tortillas and/or rice.

Recipe Note

The flavors in a mole develop over time, so it tastes even better the day or two after it's made.

All Comments

I used strawberries, very ripe ones. For me, the berries added a very nice yummy sweetness to the spiciness. Will use the mushrooms next time. This was a great recipe for mole, made from scratch.

Hi Vicki! Thanks so much for your question. To reduce the spiciness while keeping the flavor, you can use plain water instead of the soaking liquid when adding the soaked peppers. This will lower the heat without losing too much flavor. If you skip the toasted seeds, the sauce might lose a bit of its smokiness and depth. However, it can help if you’re trying to avoid too much spice. You could also try toasting the seeds separately and adding just a small amount back in, tasting as you go to find the right balance for your taste. Let us know if you have any additional questions.

How can I maintain the flavor but remove the spiciness? Will it still be spicy if I include the soaked peppers but add plain water instead of the water they were soaked in? Will the sauce lose too much flavor if I don’t use the toasted seeds from the pepper? Thank you for your help.

Alexa Soto's Mole with Mushrooms

Alexa Soto's Mole with Mushrooms

Mole with Sauteed Oyster Mushrooms

Ingredients

Directions

Recipe Note

All Comments

Leave a Comment

Read More

Coat Your Short Ribs in Mole, You Won't Regret It

Plant-Based Spinach & Hibiscus Sopes from Kate Ramos

Vegan Tamales: Rajas con Elote with Cashew Crema

Your cart

Cart empty.