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1
Toast each chile type separately in a dry heavy pan over medium heat, pressing flat with a spatula, until the skin blisters and the kitchen smells of dark, dried fruit with a faint edge of smoke — not acrid. Remove immediately. Soak all toasted chiles together in just-boiled water for 20 minutes until fully pliable.
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2
In a wide pan, heat a little of the lard over medium-high heat. Fry the plantain slices in a single layer until deep golden-brown on each side — the cut surface should caramelise fully, not merely soften. Remove. In the same pan, fry the prunes and raisins briefly until they puff and glisten. Remove. Fry the almonds until pale gold. Remove. Each ingredient is fried separately; the layering of caramelisation is what builds the sauce's complexity.
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3
Drain the soaked chiles, reserving the soaking liquid. In a blender, combine the chiles, fried plantain, fried prunes, raisins, and almonds. Add enough warm stock to allow the blades to move. Blend in stages to a completely smooth, uniform paste — this is where the dish lives or dies: insufficient blending leaves a coarse, unintegrated sauce that no amount of subsequent cooking will correct.
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4
Heat the remaining lard in a deep, heavy pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pour the blended paste in all at once — it will spit forcefully. Fry the paste, stirring constantly, until it darkens by one full shade and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
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5
Add the warm stock gradually, stirring to incorporate. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mole coats a spoon cleanly — drawn finger leaves a clear line — with the body of crème anglaise, neither a thin broth nor a thick paste.
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6
Taste for balance: dried-fruit sweetness against chile heat against smoke. Adjust chipotle character with reserved soaking liquid if more smoke is required, or with additional stock to open the sauce. The finish should be sweet-fruity in arrival, smoky in the middle, and warm with chile on the close.