If you’d like to prepare Mexican´s popular Pollo con mole, here you’ll find the best store-bought mole sauce product!
Mole means sauce in the language of the Aztecs, Nahuatl. In Mexico, buying mole is the easiest thing in the world because most people pick it up at their local market. Here, it is usually sold in large clay bowls and is generally quite fresh. This is the best variety, but there are also brands that you can pick up at the store, which are much trickier to choose from as you can’t simply smell them on the spot.
Generally speaking, a good mole should be creamy yet nutty, sweet in an alluring way, and intrigue through a complex spicy heat when it hits your mouth.
Keep in mind that most mole relies heavily on chili peppers. While they may not retain too much of the spice after their processing, it does play a big role in the ultimate taste. This is important to keep in mind when you’re trying to find the best store-bought mole sauce for you and your loved ones.
While it comes in many varieties, we are going to focus here mostly on the most popular kind which is the mole poblano negro. This kind of mole commonly uses dried Chile (of course), chocolate, sesame seeds, and either tortilla or bread. It’s favored because of its sweetness and how you can taste the sweetness of the chocolate.
Focusing On Some Of The Best Mole Sauce In a Jar
Doña Maria
Perhaps the most well-known brand, and most varied in terms of the variety of flavors that it offers, is Doña Maria. This mole paste has become so popular that it has gained a lot of attention internationally.
If you’re after that sweet, chocolatey taste you can’t go wrong with mole Doña Maria. However, it is rather simplistic, as you might expect from its very affordable pricing.
To put it simply, it is more of a barbecue sauce-inspired mole, than a mole that will complement a traditional chicken dish.
Bunches & Bunches Dried Chilaca Mole Sauce
Bunches & Bunches Dried Chilaca Mole Sauce comes as a thick paste that’s ready to cook with. You can dilute with ease, so it’s great for when you would like to try out a variety of recipes. And when you do need to dilute you’ll still be able to appreciate a wonderful balance between the salty and sweet that comes from deliciously aromatic ingredients like almonds and raisins.
One big reason why it is favored by many Mexican-Americans is that it is quite spicy, all the while maintaining all kinds of other flavors flowing as well. If you’re after a mole with a fancy complexity that’s spearheaded by a considerable amount of spiciness, this one is sure to not let you down!
El Sabor de Oaxaca Mole Negro
While the other brands are based on recipes from the state of Puebla, this one comes from farther west, in the emblematic state of Oaxaca, which is also known as the capital of the moles. So as this one is authentic you can rest assured that you’re in for something special. This company professes that its mole tastes best just with vegetables, even though you can use it with meat.
If you’re after a more complex mole taste that’s derived from a wide variety of ingredients, some of which include avocado and cinnamon, this one is sure to leave you thinking. You simply won’t believe that it came straight from a jar and more a Mercado!
Tips and Tricks For Mole Paste
Head to Mexican grocery stores, and if you can, ask someone working there for suggestions on the kind of mole brands that might appeal the most to your particular palate. If you’re unsure, you can head out to authentic Mexican restaurants to try different kinds and see how they strike you. You can ask the server there about sweetness, darkness, spiciness, and even whether it’s easy to cook with when you’re new to these waters.
You may like a more chocolatey taste, and so you can add to the mole that you pick up fresh chocolate without any problem.
With pretty much any mole that comes in the form of a paste, be careful that you use utensils that don’t stain easily, like wooden spoons for instance, or else cleaning up can become a very laborious chore. Some mole sauce brands stain more than others, so you should keep this in mind when you’re using them in the kitchen.
Conclusion
Mole is a true delicacy, it dates back many years, and as such, it is a topic of great passion throughout Mexico. This is to a large extent due to the simple fact that there are so many variations out there to choose from, and new ones are emerging all the time.
The great thing about making mole at home is that it’s healthy and at its best, it uses as natural ingredients as possible, however, you can find a lot of these if you choose your mole carefully when you go to the store. If you land a great brand you can serve it with just about anything. This means that you should be able to add your favorite ingredients and flavors to it and make something that truly speaks to your palate.
In many ways, it comes down to your personal preferences, but if you want quality there are certain things that you should look out for, starting with ingredients, color, and thickness. They don’t all go too well with meat, for instance, so make sure that you do your own research to find out which ones go well with which recipes. There are tons online that reference specific brands.
Be warned that many people are caught off guard by the intense flavor, particularly of a dark Oaxaca mole for instance, but more often than not it wins them over. The point is to take your time and savor the distinct flavors that constitute the whole dish.
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