Mexican Big Bean Chocolate Mole
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Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
For this muy delicioso chocolate mole, we’ve taken Mexico’s national dish and packed it with as many beans as we can find, along with smoky dried chipotle chilli and a pinch of cocoa.
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590 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 1 celery stick
  • 2 red onions
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 dried chipotle
  • 400g tin of aduki beans
  • 400g tin of haricot beans
  • 1 orange
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  • 400g tin of cherry tomatoes
  • 150g Greek style yogurt
From your kitchen
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 200ml water
  • Freshly ground pepper
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Trim the celery. Peel 1 onion, 1 garlic clove and the carrot. Roughly dice everything. Heat a large casserole dish with 1 tbsp oil. Add the veg and cook gently for 10 mins till softened.

  • 2.

    Drain the aduki and haricot beans in a colander and rinse. Slice the stem off the top of the chipotle chilli and shake out the seeds (or leave them in if you like very spicy food). Finely chop the chipotle.

  • 3.

    Grate the zest off the orange and set aside. Squeeze the juice and pour into a bowl. Finely slice the second onion and add to the juice with a pinch of salt. Toss to mix, then leave to ‘pickle’.

  • 4.

    Add the cinnamon stick and 2 tsp cumin to the pan. Stir for 1 min. Add the beans and tomatoes. Half-fill a can with water (around 200ml) and pour into the pan. Season with a little pepper. Add the chopped chipotle. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 mins. Stir and season with a little salt.

  • 5.

    Peel and thinly slice the remaining 2 garlic cloves. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan over a low heat. When hot, add in the sliced garlic with a pinch of salt. Fry for 2 mins till golden and crispy. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain.

  • 6.

    Taste the mole and season. Add 1 tsp cocoa powder. Stir, then taste again. It should taste rich and spicy. Add a little more cocoa if you like.

  • 7.

    Divide the mole between two bowls. Add a spoonful of yogurt to each bowl, along with a handful of pickled onions and the crispy garlic. Sprinkle over the reserved orange zest to serve.

  • Tip

    Chocs away
    You can turn your leftover cocoa into hot chocolate. Warm a mug or milk (or almond or rice milk). Put the cocoa powder in a mug and slowly whisk in the hot milk. For a Mexcain twist, add a pinch of cinnamon and chilli powder.

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