Asian Mole

Name: Asian Mole
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6-8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1/2 tablespoon peanut oil or 1/2 tablespoon canola oil; 1/4 cup onion, chopped; 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped; 2 tablespoons ginger, chopped; 1/2 tablespoon jalapenos or 1/2 tablespoon serrano chili, chopped, including some of the seeds; 3/4 cup red wine; 1/4 cup dried cranberries; 7 tablespoons water, divided use; 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon; 3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 tablespoon black sesame seed, toasted; 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon sugar; 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted; 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped; salt; fresh ground black pepper

Submitted by Maito

"This sauce is much adapted from a Ming Tsai recipe. It goes well with chicken, pork, vegetables or tofu. I haven't tried it with seafood, but I imagine it would go wonderfully with shrimp (and one reviewer really liked it over salmon)."

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photo by KateL

Ready In:: 40mins
Ingredients:: 18
Serves:: 6-8

ingredients

¹⁄₂ tablespoon peanut oil or 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
¹⁄₄ cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
¹⁄₂ tablespoon jalapenos or 1/2 tablespoon serrano chili, chopped, including some of the seeds
³⁄₄ cup red wine
¹⁄₄ cup dried cranberries
7 tablespoons water, divided use
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cinnamon
³⁄₄ teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon black sesame seed, toasted
¹⁄₈ teaspoon vanilla extract
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
salt
fresh ground black pepper

directions

Over medium-high heat, sauté onions, garlic, ginger and chile until caramelized.
Deglaze pan with wine. Add cranberries and 1/4 cup of water, and cook until about three fourths of the liquid is absorbed.
Transfer to a processor while warm, so that chocolate will melt. Blend with rest of ingredients, including remaining 3 tablespoons of water, until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over meat, tofu, or vegetables.

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Reviews

This deserves more than 5 stars. What a great medley of flavors. Very easy to make. I served it with grilled salmon, but looking forward to trying it on chicken or shrimp.

Outta Here
I'll have to agree with the other two reviewers, this recipe was pleasingly complex. I did not mind the sweetness here myself, though I've made Mexican mole's where I might consider a sweet taste inappropriate. Minor things - I did not have black sesame seeds so I used white (untoasted), and I couldn't find my sliced almonds (though I did find them later, grrr). I put this on top of non-silken tofu, which I grilled in a non-stick skillet until nice and brown. BF enjoyed this too. I used the leftovers on a soy-based "steak." Very good sauce, thanks Maito!

Kumquat the Cats fr
I dont really know how to rate this since I never had a mole sauce before. I did enjoy this but my mom did not, she didnt like sweetness this sauce had to it but I found it quite enjoyable. The hottness of the jalapenos with the cranberries and the hint vanilla was surprisingly nice. I didnt have a full 3/4 cup of wine left so I used part beef broth and part wine. I served this over chicken, but like you said I'm sure it would go great with seafood as well.

anme7039
A lot of chocolate, but not too sweet. Very interesting. I was going to serve over chicken, but I think green beans are best for me. My prep time was long (we had some business that extended into my normal cooking time), so I prepared the sauce tonight to serve tomorrow. I was surprised that I had black sesame seeds on hand, so I ended up making as written. I'll update on how well it reheats.

KateL
A bit more chocolate than I expected, but still quite good, and super easy to put together. I could have used a bit more heat, which I added in situ with some hot sauce. I did not find it too sweet. I served this over lightly-marinated tempeh.

D Rusak