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Plátanos en mole
Plantains in chocolate chilli sauce
Guatemalan dessert of fried ripe plantains in a dark chocolate, chilli and seed sauce
Guatemala's mole is not the savoury Mexican sauce but a dessert: fried sweet plantains bathed in a dark sauce of chocolate, tomato, a gentle dried chilli, sesame, pumpkin seeds and cinnamon. It appears at Christmas and during Semana Santa, and in the market comedores of Guatemala City all year, eaten warm with a sprinkle of toasted sesame. It's sweet, spiced and only faintly hot. Chef's tip: use Guatemalan or Mexican-style table chocolate (grainy, with sugar and cinnamon) if you can find it; with dark eating chocolate, add a little more sugar.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the plantains
- 3 very ripe plantainsblack-skinned, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1.5 cm thick
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
For the mole
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 dried pasilla or ancho chillistemmed and seeded
- 3 tbsp sesame seedsplus extra to finish
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 ⅝ in cinnamon stick
- 2 ⅛ oz table chocolate or dark chocolate (70%)chopped; check it's dairy free
- 2 tbsp sugarto taste
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 pinch salt
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 3 very ripe plantains for 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden-brown and soft right through. Drain on kitchen paper and keep the pan.
12 minStep 2: In a dry pan over a medium heat, char 2 tomatoes for 8 minutes until blackened in places. Toast 1 dried pasilla or ancho chilli for 20 seconds per side until it smells smoky, and soak it in hot water. Toast 3 tbsp sesame seeds, 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds and 1 ⅝ in cinnamon stick for 2 minutes until golden and fragrant.
12 minStep 3: Blend tomatoes, drained chilli, seeds, cinnamon and 1 ¼ cups water until completely smooth.
Step 4: Pour the sauce into the plantain pan (with its leftover oil) over a medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until it thickens and darkens.
5 minStep 5: Lower the heat, add 2 ⅛ oz table chocolate or dark chocolate (70%), 2 tbsp sugar and 1 pinch salt and stir until melted and glossy. Taste: it should be sweet with a faint warmth behind it. Common mistake: boiling the sauce hard after adding chocolate; it turns grainy and can catch.
3 minStep 6: Slide in the plantains and simmer gently for 3 minutes, spooning sauce over them. Serve warm, sprinkled with extra sesame.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does plátanos en mole take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 35 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of sesame seeds?
- Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
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