P
Mexican
Enmoladas (mole-sauced enchiladas)
Enmoladas are enchiladas dressed in leftover mole — corn tortillas warmed and dipped in reheated mole negro or mole coloradito, filled with chicken or cheese, and served with sesame seeds, crema, and onion. They are the canonical vehicle for using leftover mole and are as important as the original mole dish in home cooking. The mole is thinned with chicken stock if necessary before coating. A typical Oaxacan or Pueblan home kitchen preparation.
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I
The Market List
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750 ml
leftover mole negro or mole coloradito
reheated
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
125 ml
chicken stock
used as needed to thin mole to sauce consistency
Your own market
12
corn tortillas
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 ml
neutral oil
for warming tortillas
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the filling
400 g
cooked chicken
shredded; or substitute fresh cheese
Your own market
To garnish
30 g
sesame seeds
toasted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
150 ml
crema
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 small
white onion
finely sliced into julienne
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Reheat the mole in a wide, shallow pan over medium-low heat, stirring steadily. Add chicken stock in small increments until the mole falls slowly and continuously from a spoon — the consistency of chocolate sauce. A paste that sits without moving is too thick and will not coat the tortillas evenly.
2
Heat the oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Pass each tortilla through the hot oil for no more than 20–30 seconds per side, turning once. The tortilla should be pliable and yielding under light pressure, not stiff. Work in batches, keeping warmed tortillas covered.
From the canon — The corn tortilla is the foundational food of Mexican cuisine — a thin, round disc of nixtamalized masa cooked on an ungreased comal (flat griddle) until it … Tortilla — hand press, comal, and the puff →
3
Working one at a time, dip each warmed tortilla into the hot mole, turning to coat both sides fully. Lay flat. Place a modest line of shredded chicken or cheese across the centre — the filling should not dominate — and fold or roll. Arrange seam-side down on warmed plates, three per portion.
4
Spoon additional hot mole over the assembled enmoladas to coat the surface. The mole should flow across the plate; any surface that appears dry or paste-like requires more sauce.
5
Scatter toasted sesame seeds over each portion, drizzle with crema, and lay the white onion julienne across. Serve immediately: mole-coated tortillas dry at the surface within minutes of plating.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Mole negro made from scratch with dried Oaxacan chiles, turkey stock, and charred aromatics, left to mature overnight; tortillas pressed and cooked to order from masa harina or fresh masa.
02
Estate — Artisan-made mole negro or coloradito sourced from a Oaxacan or Pueblan producer, thinned with good homemade chicken stock; store-bought but high-quality corn tortillas warmed in oil.
03
Market — Good-quality commercial mole paste (negro or coloradito) reconstituted with chicken stock to correct consistency; standard supermarket corn tortillas warmed thoroughly in oil before use.
04
House — Jarred mole sauce adjusted with stock; packaged corn tortillas warmed in oil. The technique of oiling and dipping remains mandatory at every rung — no shortcut here is acceptable.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Mole drips slowly and continuously from the back of a spoon — the movement of chocolate sauce, not the stillness of a paste.
◇Touch. A warmed tortilla bends fully around a finger without cracking or splitting at the edge.
◇Sight. Plated enmoladas show a glossy, unbroken mole surface with no dry or pale patches; sauce has flowed to the rim of the plate.
◇Where it lives or dies. The reheated mole must reach true sauce consistency — dripping slowly and steadily from a spoon — before a single tortilla is dipped; mole that is too thick will sit as paste on the tortilla and the dish is lost.
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VI
What to Pour
For mole negro enmoladas: a medium-bodied red with earthy depth — a village-level Oaxacan mezcal served neat alongside is equally canonical, its smoke echoing the charred chile base. For mole coloradito: a fruity, lower-tannin red or a cold Mexican lager, which tempers the milder, sweeter profile without competing.
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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