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Mole is a classic sauce in Mexican cooking, but it’s also complicated. Many moles have dozens of ingredients, ranging from seeds to chocolate. That complexity is key to the sauce’s flavor.
These days, however there are easier ways to create mole than starting from scratch. For example, last year MegaMex launched a prepared mole under the Doña Maria brand that has proven popular in restaurants.
And during the Antojo Industry Expo last fall, a small company called BBack4More! exhibited a powdered mole. The company’s founder, Brenda Backal, is a Mexican chef who wanted to share her mole with others in a convenient format.
“I started making mole years ago, and I've been always wanted to produce something for the population so they can also try it,” explains Backal, who also is a personal chef (lavidaculinary.com). “And then a funny thing happened one day: I ran out of vegetable stock to make my mole and I said, wait a second, I don't need that. I have all the other ingredients in powder form. I can just pack it up like that and people can just add their own stock to it. And that's how that powder came about.”
In its dry from, it lasts more than a year on the shelf. The product comes in a 12-ounce package. Depending on how thick the user wants the mole, a 12-ounce package can make at least 24 fluid ounces of mole.
The fact that Backal’s mole is powdered means it lends itself to some innovative uses. Backal says one customer is using the powder as a coating for roasted almonds and pistachios, and others are using it for a cocktail rimmer. Of course, most customers are using the powder to create traditional mole for chicken or fish.
“When you try my mole sauce, you get the sweet, the spicy, the saltiness. It all depends where your mole permeates in your mouth. The spiciness that you get is the first kick that you get, but then it will dissipate as a flavor of the chocolate and the cinnamon and the spices come about in your mouth. It's an amazing feeling of feeling warm and brightness and a love with chocolate and spice.”
Backal works with a food manufacturer to create the powder, using the ingredients she specified. It does not contain any preservatives, and it is vegan and gluten-free.
Backal is seeking a distributor to get her product into more stores and restaurants, but in the meantime customers can email her to order it, bback4more@gmail.com.
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