Mexican Beef and Vegetable Stew (Mole de Olla)
Mole de olla Say it: MOH-leh deh OH-yah
Mole de olla is the Sunday pot of central Mexico: beef simmered slowly until tender, then a brick-red sauce of toasted guajillo and pasilla chiles, charred tomato and warm spices stirred into the broth. Corn on the cob, chayote, potato, carrot, green beans and zucchini go in at the end, each keeping its own texture. Despite the word mole, there is no chocolate here. The broth tastes smoky, gently spicy and deeply savoury, finished with lime and raw onion at the table.
Mexican Beef and Vegetable Stew (Mole de Olla)
Mole de olla
Pronounced MOH-leh deh OH-yah
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 2 hr
- Total
- 2 hr 25 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: none of the major allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the beef and broth
For the chile base
Vegetables
To serve
Method
Put the beef in a large heavy pot with the water, halved onion, peeled garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and skim off the grey foam that rises, then partly cover and cook at a low bubble for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with a fork.
Lift the beef out, strain the broth through a fine sieve and skim the fat from the surface, saving a spoonful for frying. Rinse the pot, return the broth and meat to it and keep warm over low heat.
While the beef cooks, toast the guajillo and pasilla chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 20 seconds per side, pressing them flat, until they smell nutty and puff slightly. Pull them off the heat before they darken, or they turn bitter.
Cover the toasted chiles with hot water and soak for 20 minutes until soft. Meanwhile char the tomatoes, unpeeled garlic cloves and onion quarter on a dry comal or skillet over medium-high heat, turning, until blistered and blackened in spots, 8 to 10 minutes.
Drain the chiles, discarding the soaking water. Blend them with the charred tomatoes, peeled garlic, onion, oregano, cumin and clove, adding about 1 cup (240 ml) of the beef broth, until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Pass the sauce through a sieve, pressing the solids to extract all the pulp.
Heat the lard or oil in a wide pan over medium heat, pour in the chile sauce and fry it, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes, until it darkens to a deep brick red, thickens and stops spitting. It should smell sweet and smoky, not raw.
Stir the fried chile base into the beef broth and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes so the flavours marry. Taste and add salt gradually, since the chile base has absorbed some already.
Add the corn, chayote, potato and carrot and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the green beans, zucchini and epazote and cook 8 to 10 minutes more, until the chayote gives easily to a knife, the green beans are just soft and the corn is bright yellow.
Ladle into deep bowls, making sure each gets meat and a round of corn, and set out the lime wedges, chopped onion and oregano for everyone to add at the table.
Regional variants
In some regions a sour xoconostle cactus fruit is added with the vegetables for a tart edge, and pork, or a mix of beef and pork, often replaces the beef.
Cook's notes
- Skim the broth early and keep the pot at a bare simmer so it stays clear rather than cloudy.
- Chayote is mild and slightly crisp; if you cannot find it, add extra zucchini at the last step or a few more pieces of potato.
- The stew thickens as it stands and the chile base can taste hotter the next day; loosen with water or stock when reheating.
Serve with
Lime wedges, chopped raw onion, dried oregano and warm corn tortillas.
Make ahead and storage
Keeps 3 days covered in the fridge and deepens overnight; reheat gently on the stove and add fresh zucchini if you can.
