Destination
Antigua
The story
Plátanos en mole is Guatemala's Semana Santa (Holy Week) dessert: ripe plantains sliced into thick rounds, briefly fried in butter until deep gold, then simmered in a sweet-savoury mole sauce built from dark chocolate, dried chillies, cinnamon, cloves, toasted sesame, tomato, panela and a splash of rum. Served warm, spooned into shallow bowls with a scatter of toasted sesame seeds on top. Rich enough to be a small dessert, filling enough to close a Semana Santa lunch.
Method
Briefly toast the dried chillies in a dry pan over medium heat, 30 seconds per side, until fragrant (don't burn). Cover with warm water and soak 15 minutes.
In the same pan (or under a hot grill), char the tomatoes, onion and garlic until blackened in patches on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Peel the garlic once cool enough to handle.
In a blender, combine the drained chillies, charred vegetables, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon (broken up), cloves, cumin, salt and 300ml of the stock. Blend on high for 60 seconds until as smooth as possible.
Warm the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Carefully pour in the blended sauce (it will splatter). Cook 10 minutes, stirring often, until darkened and thickened.
Stir in the chopped chocolate, panela and remaining stock. Cook 10 more minutes over low heat, stirring, until the chocolate is fully melted and the sauce is glossy and thick. Add rum if using and cook 2 more minutes.
While the sauce cooks, melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Fry the plantain rounds 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep gold. Don't cook through; just brown the outsides.
Transfer the fried plantains to the mole sauce. Turn gently to coat. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes over low heat, until the plantains are soft and infused with the mole and the sauce clings to them.
Spoon into shallow bowls, making sure each portion gets 3 to 4 plantain rounds and plenty of sauce. Scatter with toasted sesame seeds. Serve warm with a spoon of crema on the side.
Tips
- Very ripe plantains only. Skin at least 50% black, giving under thumb pressure. Under-ripe plantains stay starchy in the sauce and never fully soften or sweeten.
- Char the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Even a quick 5-minute char adds a smoky background that fresh-untoasted vegetables can't provide. This step is essential for a proper mole.
- Real dark chocolate, not cocoa powder. 70%+ dark chocolate melts into the sauce and gives it body. Cocoa powder alone gives you a thin, bitter, dusty sauce.
- Watch the chillies when toasting. Dried chillies burn fast; 30 seconds per side and no more. Burnt chillies turn the whole mole bitter.
- A pudding, not a main. Serve warm in small portions as a dessert or dessert-adjacent dish, not as a savoury main. A small spoon of crema on the side balances the sweetness beautifully.
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