Oaxacan Mole Negro with Chicken

Halve the Chicken legs at the joint into thighs and drumsticks. Pat them dry and leave them out of the fridge while you start the mole.

Snap the stems off the Guajillo chillies, Mulato chillies, Ancho chillies, Pasilla chillies and Chilhuacle negro chillies. Tear them open and shake out the seeds and veins, keeping the seeds of the mulato — these are bitter, smoky and essential. Keep everything in separate piles. Halve the White onions and peel the Garlic. Quarter the Tomatoes. Husk, rinse and quarter the Tomatillos. Strip the leaves from the Mexican oregano and break the Ceylon cinnamon into shards.

⚠ Tip: Keep the mulato seeds, throw away the rest: that bitterness is what makes a mole negro a mole negro rather than a mole rojo.

Warm a heavy pot over medium heat with 60 g Lard and one of the lard measures used again later. Add the chillies a handful at a time and press them against the hot fat for a few seconds on each side, until they smell nutty and pliable but are not yet darkened, about 2 min in total. Lift them out into a bowl and cover with just-boiled 600 ml Water; soak for 20 min.

⚠ Tip: Medium heat, not high: a scorched chilli turns the whole mole acrid. If the pot smokes, pull it off the heat, let it settle, and carry on.

Rinse and dry the pot. Add the reserved Mulato chillies seeds and toast over medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until they are nearly black and smell sharply toasted and bitter, about 1 min 30 sec. Tip them straight into the chilli soaking bowl so they soften.

⚠ Tip: You want bitter-toast, not ash. The moment your nose says 'burnt', it has gone too far.

Add another spoonful of Lard to the pot and fry the Almonds, Pecans, Peanuts, Walnuts and Pumpkin seeds over medium heat, stirring, until they are golden and smell toasted, about 4 min. Push them to one side, add the Sesame seeds and Raisins and fry for 1 min more until the sesame is pale gold and the raisins have puffed. Lift everything out. Add the remaining Lard, then the sliced Plantains and fry until deep golden and caramelised on both edges, about 5 min.

Hold the Corn tortillas directly over a flame with tongs, or lay it in a dry pan over high heat, until it is blistered and blackened in patches and smells roasted and bitter, then tear it into pieces. In the same dry pan, char the White onions, Garlic, Tomatoes and Tomatillos over high heat until blistered and softened, about 10 min; the onion and garlic want black edges, the tomato and tomatillo just collapsing and sweet.

⚠ Tip: Do not be timid here — the burnt tortilla is what gives the mole its name and its deep bass note of bittersweet.

Drain the soaked chillies and chillies' soaking liquid, reserving it. Blend the drained chillies with the toasted Mulato chillies seeds and about 400 ml of the reserved chilli water — start with just enough to let the blades move — until you have a smooth, glossy dark-red purée, about 2 min. Push it through a sieve if you want a silkier finish.

⚠ Tip: Do not add too much liquid: a loose purée is hard to fry and the mole will never darken properly.

Blend the fried nuts, seeds, raisins and plantain with the charred White onions, Garlic, Tomatoes, Tomatillos and burnt Corn tortillas, the Mexican oregano, Dried thyme, Dried marjoram, Black peppercorns, Cloves, Ceylon cinnamon and Avocado leaves in batches with a ladle of Chicken stock until you have a thick, smooth, tan-brown paste, about 3 min.

⚠ Tip: Add the stock a splash at a time; a blender with a loose purée never breaks down the nuts fully.

Heat the remaining 60 g Lard in the pot over medium heat until it shimmers, then pour in the mole paste and fry, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 10 min. It will spit and pop, then darken from tan to a deep burnished brown and pull away from the sides slightly. This frying step is the soul of the mole.

⚠ Tip: Stir without stopping: mole burns in seconds. If it catches at the edges, lower the heat and pull it back with a splash of stock.

Stir in the chilli purée and the remaining 1 l Chicken stock. Bring to a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, over low heat, stirring the bottom every few minutes, until the mole is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and has darkened to near-black, about 1 h 30 min.

⚠ Tip: A real mole negro wants a long, slow cook — an hour is the minimum, two hours is better. If it gets too thick, splash in hot water; if too thin, keep going.

Season the Chicken legs with a pinch of Sea salt and slip the pieces into the simmering mole. Cook gently over low heat for 30 min, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and tender but not falling apart.

Stir in the Mexican chocolate until it melts, then taste and balance: Sugar for sweetness, a little more Sea salt, and a splash of hot water. The mole should taste bitter, sweet, savoury and faintly smoky all at once, with the chocolate a background note, not the headline.

⚠ Tip: Chocolate only rounds the edges. If the mole tastes of chocolate pudding, you have used too much.

Pluck the Coriander leaves, and slice the Radishes and White onions paper thin. Cut the Limes into wedges.

Spoon the chicken into shallow bowls and ladle over plenty of mole. Scatter with the coriander, radish and raw onion and give everyone a lime wedge. Serve with plain rice or warm tortillas — nothing that fights the sauce.

⚠ Tip: A mole negro is even better the next day. Cool it fast and keep it in the fridge; it loosens with a splash of water when reheated.