This document provides recipes for three traditional Mexican dishes: mole, pozole, and chicken pozole rojo. Mole is a rich sauce made from dried chiles, spices, nuts, seeds, chocolate, and tomatoes that is served over meat like chicken or turkey. Pozole is a hearty stew traditionally made with hominy, pork, and either a red or green chile broth. The document describes the cultural and historical origins of pozole in Mexico. It then provides a detailed recipe for chicken pozole rojo based on the author's mother's recipe.

1. Recipes and background of 3 Mexican dishes
MOLE
The word Mole comes from Nahuatl mulli or molli, "sauce" or "concoction". There are
many different regions of Mexico have their own recipes of Mole, but the Poblano is the
most popular.
If there is a celebration you can bet there will be Mole served!
Ingredients
1 chicken or turkey
11 ancho chiles
6 mulatto chiles
3 chiles chipotles adobados
3 tablespoons chile seed
5 pasilla chiles
4oz. almonds
4oz. peanuts
8oz. sesame seeds
2oz. pumpkin seeds
1 bar dark chocolate
6 allspice
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
A pinch aniseed
4 tomatoes
10 green tomatillos
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
3 tortillas
1 stale white bread roll
1/2 lb.lard
2 tablespoons vinegar
Clean, wash and boil the chicken or turkey. Cook and cut into pieces, and then fry them
in lard. Puree the tomatoes and the chipotle chiles and add to the chicken. When
cooked through, add one quart of chicken broth.
Mole sauce: toast the sesame seeds on a griddle. Fry the bread and remove from pan;
fry the tortillas.
Fry the chile together with the pumpkin seeds, peanuts, almonds, cloves, allspice
aniseed, and cinnamon. Grind them together with little water. Add the toasted and
peeled tomatillos, onion and
garlic. Continue blending, return to heat and slowly mix in one quart stock. Thicken
over a low heat, stirring continually to prevent sticking.
Add the mole sauce to the turkey or chicken and tomato purse. Be sure to stir well.
Grind the chocolate to a powder and sprinkle over sauce. Mix well. Bring to a boil and
thicken. Remove from heat and add the vinegar and one tablespoon hot lard.

2. Serve a piece of chicken on each plate with a helping of mole and sprinkle over the
toasted sesame seeds.
POZOLE
Pozole is a hearty Mexican stew traditionally made with pork, hominy and has either a red
or green color depending on the chiles used for the soup base. Other variations also exist
using chicken, beef, seafood, beans and there’s even a white pozole. The pozole is served
alongside shredded cabbage, onion, radishes, lime, oregano, salsas, sour creamand
tostadas.
Corn was a sacred plant to Aztecs and the other indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. One
of the main components of pozole is the hominy, which is basically processed maize or
corn. Aztecs, and the other indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica, cooked pozole only on
special occasions. Now this is where things start getting weird and a bit gross. In a book
called “General History of the Things of New Spain” written by Fray Bernandino de
Sahagun, he describes pots of stew with corn and pieces of human flesh being eaten on
special occasions. The human meat came from the sacrificed people, who’s hearts were
ripped out and offered to the gods, their bodies were chopped up and cooked in the
pozole. After the Spanish arrived they banned cannibalismand pork became the meat
used in pozole. Wait it gets even weirder, you’re probably wondering how but it does.
Apparently pork was the meat of choice because “it tasted very similar” to human flesh.
This bit of history is probably something most of us Mexicans want to forget or ignore, so
let’s move on.
Thankfully the only thing that remained from the “special” ancient feast was that modern
day Mexicans still celebrate special occasions with pozole. If you have Mexican friends or
family you know that pozole is served at many special celebrations. My family was no
different and so pozole was often the food we ate on special occasions.
Chicken Pozole Rojo (based on my mother’s recipe)
broth:
1 whole chicken, quartered and skinned if desired
1 medium onion, peeled
enough water to cover chicken, I used about 10 cups
1. Boil the chicken until the meat is soft and falling apart. Drain reserving the meat and
broth in separate containers. In total you should have 8 cups of broth to use. Set aside
while you prepare the pozole sauce base.
chile and pozole base:
3 guajillo

3. 3 pasilla
3 ancho
2 arbol, I added them for extra heat
4 garlic cloves
1 medium onion, peeled and halved
1 tsp salt
1-2 tbsp water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large dried bay leaf
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
salt to taste
1 medium can of Mexican hominy or maiz pozolero blanco, drained
topping options:
shredded white cabbage
slice radishes
lime, I used lemons
finely chopped onion
cilantro
avocado
crema or Mexican sour cream
salsa or hot sauce of choice
tostadas to serve on the side
1. Over a comal or griddle toast the chiles but careful not to burn them. Also toast the
garlic and onion for 5 minutes. Remove from comal and allow to cool.
2. Once cooled place the chiles, garlic, onion and 1 tsp salt into a blender. You will need to
add a tablespoon or two of water to help blend into smooth sauce. Strain the sauce
through a fine sieve and discard seeds and any remaining chunks.
3. In a large pot heat the oil, once warm add the chile sauce and cook for a few minutes.
Add the drained hominy, bay leaf, oregano and salt. Next gently pour the drained chicken
broth, in total it was 8 cups of broth, give the soup a good mix. Allow to simmer for an
hour over medium low heat and covered. While the soup is simmering remove the meat
from the boiled chicken, discarding bones and skins. Shred the chicken meat then add to
the simmering pozole. Continue simmering until ready to serve.