A tasty vegetarian meal with the flavors of a red mole.
After a 4 hour brine, the bean mole is cooked on the stovetop. You can shorten the cook time by using canned beans or a pressure cooker to cook the beans. See Kitchen Notes.
"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
Dissolve 1 Tbsp. salt in 4 cups water. Add the beans and enough water to cover the beans and be at least 1” above them. Brine for 4 hours. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Continue to simmer until the beans are done, probably another hour or so.
See Kitchen Notes for serving ideas.
Black Beans – Dried beans are my standard when cooking with beans. I find the flavor and the texture so much more enjoyable than canned beans; however, if you don’t have the 4 hours to brine and cook the beans there are 2 alternatives.
Water/Stock – Use whichever you prefer. I’ve used both water and chicken stock with great results. For vegetarian, use vegetable broth and/or water.
Tomatoes – This recipe uses 1/2 pound fresh tomatoes which can be substituted with one 15.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes.
Green or Red Chile – Use whatever chile you have available in your area. The chiles don’t have to be roasted. One to two fresh peppers work fine. Just be aware of their heat levels and adjust your chile powders accordingly. (Roasting fresh green chile)
Chile Powders – Again, there are several options and combinations of chile powders that you can use to create a depth of flavor and spice (heat). Generally, you need a medium chile powder for the bulk (1 Tbsp.), then a hot chile and a smoky chile for the rest. The chiles you use and the amounts will have a large affect on the flavor as well as the spiciness of the final dish. So know how spicy you want this dish and adjust accordingly.
Toppings – Here’s where you can have fun and mix things up. Tortilla chips and pepitas are listed as ingredients in Kennedy’s recipe, so as toppings they help to finish off the mole flavors. However, Feta cheese or Greek yogurt makes a nice topping, but yields a different, but complementary result. I think that the toppings you choose are more determined by how you plan to serve this. See the Suggested Serving Ideas below.
Suggested Serving Ideas
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen