AI-generated image
Mole de olla
Beef and vegetable mole soup
Mole de olla: central Mexico's brothy beef shank stew with corn, chayote and epazote
Despite its name, mole de olla is not a thick mole but a brick-red soup, made in big clay pots on chilly days in Mexico City, Hidalgo and Morelos. Beef shank simmers until soft, then a guajillo-ancho broth carries chunks of corn on the cob, chayote, courgette, green beans and potatoes, finished with a sprig of epazote. It is served in deep bowls with chopped onion, chiles and lime, and tortillas for dunking. Chef's tip: keep the marrow bones in the pot; they enrich the broth and are a cook's treat on toast.
- Total time
- 140 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the broth
- 2 ⅝ lb bone-in beef shankcut in thick slices
- 3 cloves garlic
- 10 ½ cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 dried guajillo chilesstems and seeds removed
- 2 dried ancho chilesstems and seeds removed
- 2 tomatoes
For the vegetables
- 2 corn cobseach cut in 3
- 2 waxy potatoescut in chunks
- 1 chayotepeeled and cut in chunks
- 5 ½ oz green beanscut in 4 cm pieces
- 2 courgettescut in thick rounds
- 2 sprigs epazote or coriander
To serve
- ½ white onionfinely chopped
- 2 limesin wedges
- 2 serrano chiles (optional)finely chopped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (10)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put the 2 ⅝ lb bone-in beef shank, ½ white onion, 2 cloves of the 2 cloves garlic and the 10 ½ cups water in a large pot. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam, then simmer very gently, partly covered, for 1½ hours until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork.
90 minStep 2: Meanwhile, toast the 4 dried guajillo chiles and 2 dried ancho chiles on a dry comal for 15 seconds a side, then soak in hot water for 15 minutes. Blend with the 2 tomatoes, the remaining 1 cloves garlic and a ladle of broth until smooth.
18 minStep 3: Pour the chile mixture through a sieve into the pot and add the 2 tsp salt. Add the 2 corn cobs and 2 waxy potatoes and simmer 15 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Add the 1 chayote and 5 ½ oz green beans and cook 8 minutes, then the 2 courgettes and 2 sprigs epazote or coriander for a final 5 minutes. Adding everything at once is the common mistake: the courgette collapses long before the corn is done.
13 minStep 5: Taste for salt. Serve in deep bowls with the ½ white onion, 2 limes wedges and 2 serrano chiles at the table.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mole de olla take?
- About 140 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Filipino
Black bean tacos with lime slaw
Proof that a meat-free taco night can be the best one. The beans are mashed with chipotle and cumin so they hold together in the tortilla, and a quick lime slaw adds crunch.
Ful nabitSprouted fava bean soup
Sprouted beans are ladled out with their cooking liquor in Cairo homes when the weather turns cold or someone is feeling run down, and Egyptians swear by the broth as a pick-me-up. The beans are soaked and left to sprout for a few days, then simmered with onion, garlic and cumin into a light, earthy soup that is sharpened at the table with plenty of lemon. You can eat the beans with a spoon or pop them from their skins. Allow 3 to 4 days for sprouting, although the hands-on work is only about 20 minutes. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must not eat fava beans. Chef's tip: stop the sprouting when the shoots are about 1 cm long; longer sprouts taste grassy and bitter.
Egyptian