This is my all time favorite basic red chile mole meant specifically for preparing pork or tofu for tamales. Yes I said tofu. I’ve also used the leftover mole to flavor soups and chile made with beans. It looks and tastes beautiful and you could modify it with any other spices, nuts or flavors of your choosing, or even some chocolate to create your own signature blend.

Guajillo chiles provide just the right flavor, that is, they make the tamales taste like the ones I grew up with. If you have a favorite dried chile or a blend of favorites I’m sure they would work in this recipe too.

Really good dried chiles are oily and sticky on the inside so you may want to use gloves when you are handling them. Otherwise you will “feel the burn”.

Some recipes suggest you soak the chiles but I find pureeing them with hot water breaks them down enough. Other recipes recommend straining the puree. I think that’s a waste. If your mole is too chunky just run the food processor until it has the consistency you want.

If you are going to use your mole to prepare a tofu filling get the firmest tofu you can find and press and drain it. Too much liquid will ruin your filling. Since I have the privilege of living in Seattle I go to Uwajimaya and buy their locally made green onion fried tofu. It is the perfect consistency for the filling because it’s dry and firm. It doesn’t cook down the way the pork does so you don’t need to use as much.

This is a slightly modified version of a Rick Bayless’ recipe but it is not available on his website any more. It will make enough to prepare filling for 18 tamales (more or less depending on how much you use per tamale).

The Most Basic Red Chile Mole

Ingredients
16 large (4 ounces) dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and each torn into several pieces
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
3 cups hot water
Salt to taste

1. Put the chiles, garlic, black pepper, cumin and 1 cup of hot water in the food processor and puree.
2. Transfer the puree in a large bowl and whisk in 2 more cups of water. Omit the additional water if you plan on making tofu filling.

At this point you can either store the mole or use it to make tamale filling. It will keep for a couple of months in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

For tamale filling:
In a large skillet combine the puree with 1 1/2 pounds lean boneless pork shoulder cut into 1/2 inch cubes (or 1 pound tofu cut into half inch cubes) and simmer until the liquid is gone, stirring occasionally.

Refrigerate or use immediately to fill tamales.