Mole - Oaxaca

It has become a fun little tradition of mine, anywhere I travel I try to take a cooking class. And to be honest, the whole reason I came to Oaxaca…was to take a cooking class!!! Mole. Mole. Mole. I chose a 6 hour, in home class on the outskirts of town from a woman named Miranza Lopez, and it did not disappoint.

My love of cooking is no secret. Obsessed with Chef’s Table, I’ve watched every episode over and over and over. I remember watching one episode about 9 years ago, where Chef Enrique Olvera of ‘Pujol’ incorporates a new Oaxacan mole, with an old Oaxacan mole which has cooked for over 1,000 days. Mind blowing. I had only ever had thick, bitter mole and the whole concept opened up a new world for me. I have always had a deep love for Mexican culture and food - and became obsessed with this intense, layered sauce filled with char, nuts, chocolate, and fresh ingredients. So when I went to San Miguele D’Allende for my sister’s wedding 8 years ago, the first class I booked was a 5 hour Oaxacan mole cooking class. It was then I realized the ‘turf wars’ I affectionately nicknamed it, of mole rivalry. Weddings, large celebrations, birthdays, are all reasons to spend the day making mole. It is a big deal - a physical statement of love and affection. A dish of celebration. In this saucy world of developed flavor, each maker believes theirs reigns supreme.

My dream of spending time in Oaxaca came true this March when my husband and I booked a 6 day stay. One of the first clicks I made was to find a local, off grid cooking class. I love classes that take you to local markets, and are more than a few hours as its so hard to learn anything in 2-3 hours. So I chose an in home 6 hour cooking class, with a local market visit prior to source local ingredients. It was spectacular.

Miranza Lopez opened up her incredible home, and in record time (for a mole) developed one of the most balanced, layered, mole’s I have ever had. I now am in possession of one of my most treasured recipes. Which of course, will never replicate the experience it delivered that day.

There are over 500 versions of mole. Wow. The last class I took on Mole, we used ALOT of charred ingredients, nuts, green apples, and about 30 other ingredients. It was intense. This class, we used one white onion. Head of garlic. Dried herbs. Tomato. Tomatillo. Raisins. Chocolate. Sugar. And of course…peppers. The humblest ingredients transported into an other worldly sauce for the gods. I licked my fingers clean. I have always believed that love shows through food. You taste it, you feel it. It’s that special something you can’t quite name. One thing I loved learning about, just as much in this class, was the love Miranza has for her fellow Oaxacan women. Women especially over 40 in Oaxaca, have an extremely hard time finding good work. Even just, work. They often find themselves having to work the local markets making only $250 pesos a day. It’s hard work, and dangerous. She supports women in the market when she sources her ingredients, and also has created a safe house where her family and other Oaxacan women can work safely, making decent money. Bravo babe, bravo. I can’t thank Miranza enough for the most lovely day, in the most lovely home. I will never forget, my mole cooking class in Oaxaca.