Ingredients
Beef and broth
- 2 lb boneless beef chuck trimmed of large fat deposits, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 10 cups water plus more as needed
- 1 medium white onion half for the broth, half chopped for the chile sauce
- 4 cloves garlic peeled, divided
- 1 teaspoon fine salt plus more to taste
Chiles and vegetables
- 2 dried ancho chiles stems and seeds removed
- 3 dried guajillo chiles stems and seeds removed
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 2 ears corn each cut into 3 rounds
- 1 medium chayote peeled if tough, seeded and cut into chunks
- 2 medium carrots cut into thick pieces
- 6 oz green beans trimmed and halved
- 2 medium zucchini cut into thick half-moons
- 1 sprig fresh epazote optional; omit if unavailable
- 1 lime cut into wedges for serving
Equipment
- 1 Large heavy pot, at least 6 quarts
- 1 Blender suitable for warm liquids
- 1 Fine-mesh strainer
Instructions
- Put the beef, 10 cups water, half the onion, 2 garlic cloves and salt in the large pot. Bring to a boil, skim surface foam, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Partially cover and cook about 1¾–2 hours, until the beef is nearly fork-tender. Add hot water if needed to keep the meat covered.
- While the beef simmers, warm a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Press the ancho and guajillo pieces into the pan for a few seconds per side, just until fragrant; do not blacken them. Cover with hot water in a bowl and soak for 15 minutes, then drain.
- Blend the softened chiles, chopped tomatoes, remaining onion and 2 garlic cloves with 1 cup broth taken from the pot. Let hot broth cool enough for your blender and vent according to its instructions. Strain if coarse. Heat the oil in a saucepan, carefully add the puree and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Remove the large onion half from the beef pot. Stir in the chile base, corn, chayote and carrots. Simmer 15 minutes. Add green beans, zucchini and optional epazote; simmer 10–15 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender but hold their shape and the beef pulls apart easily. Remove epazote.
- Adjust the broth with hot water if too concentrated. Taste before adding more salt. Divide beef and vegetables between six bowls and ladle broth over them. Serve lime wedges separately. Cool remaining soup promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours.
Nutrition
Calories: 428kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 32gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 536mgFiber: 6g
Video
Notes
Cooking time varies with the beef cut. This simplified version omits the xoconostle and masa dumplings included in some traditional versions. Video credit: Jauja Cocina Mexicana demonstrates a more elaborate mole de olla with mixed beef cuts, extra chiles, xoconostle and chochoyones; the gentle simmer and staged vegetables are the relevant techniques. The video is in Spanish.
Estimated cost assumes US$14 for 2 lb chuck, US$3 dried chiles, US$6 vegetables and US$1 allocated oil and seasonings. Nutrition is an estimate per one-sixth of the pot, using the Pineland Farms chuck label, FDA vegetable data and USDA-based ingredient tables. Assumptions include 2 lb edible raw chuck, 52 g cleaned dried chiles modeled with ancho data, 180 g corn kernels, 203 g chayote, 122 g carrots, 170 g beans, 392 g zucchini, 124 g tomatoes, 148 g onion, 12 g garlic, 1 tablespoon canola oil, about 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1 teaspoon salt. All broth and cooking fat are counted; discarded onion, skimmed fat and strained chile solids make actual intake lower. Optional epazote and accompanying tortillas are excluded. Sugar and heat-sensitive vitamin values are not estimated. Refrigerate at 40°F or below for 3–4 days; reheat to 165°F throughout and bring the broth to a boil.