Continuing our quest for ‘The 7 Molés of Oaxaca’ with this most unique molé verde. The version of this molé from Puebla is called Molé Pepita. The chiles here are fresh poblano and serrano rather than the dried chiles used in the other molés. This molé gets a lot of its flavor from fresh herbs and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Molé Verde is naturally gluten free and vegetarian.

Watch a Video

Here is a video of 2 Cooks in the Kitchen making Molé Verde.

The Ingredients

• 1 Poblano, stem, seeds and skin removed and cut into strips
• 2 or 3 Serranos, roughly chopped, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 1 lb Tomatillos, paper removed, cut in half
• 1 White Onion peeled, cut into quarters
• 4 Garlic Cloves, peeled
• 2 Cups Water
• 1/3 Cup Sesame Seeds, toasted
• 1/2 Cup Pepitas, toasted (plus more for garnish)
• 1/4 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Mexican Oregano
• 1 Cup chopped greens – Hoja Santa and Epazote or Cilantro, Parsley and Romaine substitute
• 1/4 Cup Oil

To keep this molé green, lots of green ingredients are used. Tomatillos help keep the color as well as a white onion, green herbs, and even the pumpkin seeds.

Prepare The Tomatillos

To begin we take the paper off the tomatillos, onion and garlic, then cut them in half and put them in a saucepan with salt and water to simmer for 8 minutes. This will soften these ingredients and turn the tomatillos a bright green color. We usually rinse the tomatillos in cold water after we take the skins off to make them less sticky.

Roast and Seed the Poblanos, Cut the Serranos

We need to roast the poblano on the grill, under the broiler or over a flame to blacken the skin so it peels easier. Then we’ll let it cool and remove the stems and seeds before cutting them into strips. Next we will remove the stems from the serranos and then cut them into 1/2 inch circles. Put the poblano and serranos into a blender.

Toast the Sesame Seeds

In a small frying pan over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until they get a little color. You need to stir this frequently so they toast evenly. Afterward, add the toasted sesame seeds to the blender with the chiles.

Toast the Pumpkin Seeds

Toast the pumpkin seeds in the same frying pan. Reserve a few for garnish and put the rest in a spice grinder and grind them quite finely. Then we’ll add the ground pumpkin seeds to the blender. These will help to thicken the molé. Pumpkin seeds are the traditional ingredient for this molé. Later on, sesame seeds were introduced by the European conquerers and found their way into many dishes.

The Greens and Spices

Now onto the greens. This would traditionally be fresh Hoja Santa and Epazote leaves but since these can be difficult to find outside of Mexico it is common to substitute other greens. Cilantro, parsley and even a romaine leaf can be used. Use your imagination. We have found dried Epazote and Yerba Santa and add 1/2 tsp of each for the flavor. You will need one packed cup of chopped greens to add to the blender. Also add the spices at this point.

Tomatillo Water

By this time the tomatillos should be ready. Tip the water out of the pan and reserve it.

Tomatillos Onions and Garlic

The blender might be getting full with the greens in there so add a 1/2 cup or so of the cooking liquid to the blender and pulse briefly to make more room. Add the tomatillos, onions and garlic to the blender and pulse until everything is mixed and uniform. By this time it should be somewhat smooth but not completely creamy. If you need more liquid to get it to blend, add a little more of the cooking water.

Saute the Molé

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. We like peanut oil for this recipe but any oil will do. Once the oil is hot, tip the contents of the blender into the oil. You want this to saute for 8 to 10 minutes before turning the heat down and letting it simmer for 20 more minutes. Taste for salt. Add water if it becomes too thick and be sure to cover the pan as this will tend to splash up.

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Here are some more molé recipes:

• Molé Colorado
• Molé Verde
• Molé Amarillo
• Classic Molé Rojo
• Easy Molé Rojo
• Molé Coloradito
• Molé Chuchilo Negro
• Molé Manchamanteles
• Molé Poblano
• Oaxacan Molé Negro

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