How To Make Molé Colorado

Molé Colorado is the first Molé we learned to make and it’s still one of Kelly’s favorites. This sauce is simply essence of dried chiles and can be used in so many ways. The chiles make up most of the ingredients and they are the star of this delicious molé. The name Molé Colorado can be translated as Red Sauce. The recipe we present here can easily be scaled to make a smaller batch. We like to make a lot and freeze it for future use.

This recipe is naturally gluten free and you can make it vegetarian if you use vegetable broth.

Molé Origins

Some say the name molé is derived from chilmolli in nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the word chil meaning chile pepper and molli sauce. We have also seen it said that it predates the Aztecs and is from the Zapotec language, Zapotecs being one of the 23 cultures indigenous to Oaxaca. Whatever the origins, the variety of molés makes for a fascinating and delicious study.

Read More About Molé

Read our brief article on the history of molé.

The Chiles

The chiles for this molé are New Mexico, Guajillo, Ancho, and Dried Serranos or Moritas.

Watch a Video

Here is a video of 2 Cooks in the Kitchen making Molé Colorado. This was one of our first videos.

Ingredients For Molé Colorado

• 8 Dried New Mexico Chiles
• 8 Dried Guajillo Chiles
• 8 Dried Ancho Chiles
• 2 Dried Serrano or Morita Chiles
• 8 Cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Oregano (or a bunch of fresh)
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 2 tsp Ground Coriander
• 1 cup Olive or Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsp Salt
• 4 cups Warm Water in a mixing bowl (to soak the chiles). Use 3 cups of the soaking water for blending.
• 12 cups Broth (Vegetable, Chicken, or Beef, etc.)

Seed the Dried Chiles, Peel the Garlic

We need to start by reconstituting the chiles. First we will remove the stems and seeds and then tear them into pieces. We can just cut the Serranos or Moritas into pieces with the seeds intact. We’ll also want to peel the garlic cloves but then leave them whole. This is all going to go into a dry frying pan, in batches, to sweat before soaking in hot water.

Sweat the Chiles and Garlic

We will just cook a few at a time in the frying pan. You need to turn them over and avoid burning them. It’s good to get a little color on the garlic. The chile pieces will bubble a bit and become aromatic. You may need to provide ventilation for this as some people are sensitive to the fumes.

Soak the Chiles

Remove the chiles and garlic from the frying pan and then put them into a bowl. We’ll cover them with hot water and then let them soak for 30 minutes. Make sure all the chiles stay submerged in the water. You can use a plate on top of them to help with this.

Blend the Chiles and Garlic

Again, working in batches, we put the soaked chiles, garlic and some of the soaking water into a blender. Add some of the oil and then blend until smooth. We want one cup of oil in all, and will end up using about 3 cups of the soaking water in all. Use as much of the water as you need to get this blended thoroughly.

Push the Sauce Through A Strainer

Now we tip the contents of the blender into a fine mesh strainer and push it through the strainer. We like to use a rubber spatula as the flexibility helps push it through. If you don’t have one then a metal serving spoon works okay. This step can seem like a bit of a chore but we find it’s well worth the effort. We do this right into the soup pot we will be cooking it in.

Add the Spices

Once we have the smooth sauce in the pan we will add the cumin, coriander, salt and then oregano. We use Just 2 teaspoons of each to complement the flavor of the chiles rather than to mask the flavor.

Add the Broth and Cook

Next we’ll add the broth to the pan and then cook for 3 to 4 hours, loosely covered. We want this to reduce some and then thicken back up. To make this vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth. Our favorite is to make this with beef bone broth but we also make it with chicken or turkey broth. Whichever you choose, it will be delicious. The chiles will cook in this time and develop a rich flavor. The end result is a beautiful, dark sauce that you can use for many things. We use it for Chile Rellenos, Enchiladas and Taco Meat, just to name a few. We’ve also used it as a pizza sauce.

Molé Colorado Freezes Well

We put a lot of our sauces in Souper Cubes to freeze for later use. Souper Cubes are silicon molds that you can freeze in and then easily remove to put in freezer bags. We use 1 cup and 1/2 cup sizes. It’s so convenient to have the molé measured when you want to use it.

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Here are some more molé recipes:

• 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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