Chile-Chocolate Mole

I'm a huge fan of Mexican food. Not only does it taste good, but it's easy to make vegan friendly. As I was going through my beloved Veganomicon cookbook, I found a recipe called Chile-chocolate Mole (Moh-leh or moh-lay). I had no idea what "mole" was, and even less of an idea of how to pronounce it (check out howdoyousaythatword.com).

Mole poblano, as it can also be called, is a sauce traditionally used in Mexican cuisine. The recipe in the Veganomicon is very loosely based on the traditional recipe, and has the added surprise of incorporating dark chocolate. It may seem very strange to use chocolate in a savoury dish, but I have read some food blogs that have used cocoa powder in curries. Apparently chilli and chocolate go very well together and enhance the flavour of each other. 

Well turns out that I do like this combination. The sauce was definitely different to anything I've tasted before but the chocolate flavour was very subtle, and it didn't really taste like chocolate. It added a nutty earthy flavour and it really did go well with the chilli. 

When it comes to food, sometimes you're doing yourself a favour by trying new or odd flavour combinations. Something you that you might think will be gross may actually become a favourite. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Don't judge a recipe by it's ingredients list?

Served with seasonal veggies and toasted tortillas