A classic Central Mexican green mole with fresh tomatillos, green chiles, and pumpkin seeds, traditionally served with sautéed shrimp. An elegant yet straightforward dish that impresses without requiring extensive preparation.
epazoteoptional; substitute with cilantro if unavailable~2 tbspest.
waterto thin mole to creamy soup consistency~1 cupest.
olive oilfor cooking mole and shrimp; vegetable oil can be substituted~3 tbspest.
salt~1 tspest.
shrimppeeled and deveined, tails on~1½ lbest.
Steps
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1
Remove the papery husks from fresh tomatillos. Prepare sliced onion, garlic in its papery skin, and serrano chili. Use 2-3 chiles if you prefer spicier.
2
Roast all ingredients under the broiler on high heat for about 6 minutes per side until tomatillos and garlic are deeply charred and collapsed.
3
Remove the papery skin from the roasted garlic. Add garlic, green chili, onion, and tomatillos to a blender. Scrape in all the flavorful roasted tomato juices.
4
Blend the mixture until smooth, creating a salsa-like consistency.
5
Add toasted pumpkin seeds and toasted sesame seeds to the blender. This transforms the salsa into mole verde.
6
Grind black pepper, a small amount of cumin, and Mexican oregano together using a molcajete or spice grinder. Fresh ground spices are essential.
7
Add the ground spices to the blender. Add a roasted poblano pepper (charred over flame, skin removed, seeds rinsed out) to reinforce green chili flavor without excessive heat.
8
Add cilantro and epazote if available, for authentic Central Mexican complexity. Cilantro alone works if epazote is unavailable.
9
Blend for several minutes until the sesame seeds are fully incorporated and the mixture becomes creamy. Add a couple tablespoons of water if the mixture is too thick to blend smoothly.
10
Film the bottom of a pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Pour in the entire thick mole mixture.
11
Stir the mixture for a couple minutes until it darkens slightly and thickens, fusing all flavors together.
12
Add water to thin the mole to a consistency like thickish cream soup.
13
Simmer for a few minutes to fully develop flavors. Mole verde cooks quickly.
14
Taste the mole and season with salt as needed. Pumpkin seed-based sauces typically require ample salt to balance flavors.
15
Chop cilantro into coarser pieces to use with the shrimp.
16
Heat a wok or large skillet with olive oil over high heat. Add the peeled and deveined shrimp with tails intact.
17
Coat the shrimp with oil and spread them out. Stir-fry until they lose translucency everywhere except the very center.
18
Remove from heat and toss in the chopped cilantro.
19
Ladle the mole verde onto a platter or into bowls. Arrange the cooked shrimp in the center. Top with additional toasted sesame seeds for garnish and serve.
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