Platinum Chef 4- Maharaja Mole

Platinum Chef time!!! This is my first venture into “competitive cooking” and it went well, though it was touch and go for a while! When I heard the ingredients, the first thing I though was ‘MOL-E!” (And not mole like from Austin Powers- moley, moley, moley… dirty mole, mooooole. Like the Latin inspired sauce pronounces moe-LAY.) Garlic, cilantro and chocolate- that’s a mole. Now… yogurt and sweet potatoes… Well, why not use a little Indian inspiration to add some extra flavors in. This is a chance to push ourselves right? And I’m happy to say it actually came out quite tasty- a little zippy, but all around good. I might even make it again!

We'll see what the other Platinum Chefs come up with in the next week. Check out the final results at Cara's blog!




Maharaja Mole

Marinade and Meat

• 1/2 Lb. Lamb
  
• 1/2 Lb. Chicken, Tenderloins
  
• 1 6 oz. Non-Fat Plain Yogurt
  
• 1 Clove Garlic, crushed
  
• 1/2 of 1 Onion, chopped
  
• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
  
• Dashes of Garam Marsala, Turmeric, and Cumin

1. Mix together yogurt, garlic, onion, lemon juice, and spices in a shallow glass/ ceramic dish.
   
2. Cover and let sit in fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
   
3. When preparing mole sauce, grill meats over med-high grill heat until cooked. Remove from grill, let sit for a few minutes, and then cut into bite sized pieces. Keep pieces at hand for final steps of overall recipe.

Mole Sauce

• 1/2 of 1 Onion, coarsely chopped
  
• 1/2 Orange Pepper, coarsely chopped
  
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
  
• 1/2 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper, chopped (I used 1 full in my version and it was a little too spicy for our tastes.)
  
• 2 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped
  
• 1/2 of a Sweet Potato, chopped
  
• 2/3 C. Water
  
• 1 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  
• 1 Tbsp. Chipotle Powder
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. Garam Marsala
  
• 2 tsp. Cumin
  
• 1 tsp. Sesame Seeds
  
• 1/2 tsp. Each of Cinnamon, Ginger, and Nutmeg

1. In a medium sauté pan, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat. Add in onions and peppers and sauté until aromatic. Add in tomato and simmer until tomato reduces some.
   
2. In a separate small pan, cook the sweet potatoes over medium heat until tender. (Maybe I could have cooked the sweet potato with everything else, but I kept it off to the side since I wasn’t sure if it would be good the way I intended it.)
   
3. Into the tomato pan, add in the spices including the cilantro and cocoa. Continue simmering, adding in the water to sauce to keep it from burning and sticking.
   
4. Once sauce is well cooked and blended in the pan, pour entire pot into a blender and add in the sweet potatoes. Puree until it is thick and smooth. Return to pot and keep on low heat until ready to serve.
   
5. Serve entire grilled meats, mixed, and mole together with a bed of plain white rice. If desired, shred some sweet potato and quickly fry and use as a garnish.