Upgrade Your Classic Enchilada Sauce With A Little Chocolate

The call for enchiladas is a siren heard by nearly everyone. As the steam rises from the pan, it beckons with its spicy aroma for you to dig into molten cheese flowing over soft tortillas rolled around deliciously seasoned fillings. Cascading throughout everything is the enchilada sauce, often a red mix of savory and sweet. Good cooks know a good sauce, enchilada or otherwise, requires the right ingredients. And for enchiladas, one of those ingredients is ... chocolate.

Adding chocolate to your enchilada sauce adds a depth and earthiness that can mellow out a red sauce's spicy edge. It also brings your sauce one step closer to authentic Mexican enchilada sauce. In Mexican cooking, chocolate is used in many savory applications and is a standard ingredient in many mole sauces.  Although there is a wide variety of chocolates available, only one type will make your enchilada sauce a smash hit at home. This chocolate originates in Mexico and it's the secret ingredient that you'll be using from now on in your enchiladas and other Mexican favorites.

Historically speaking, chocolate's roots can be traced to ancient civilizations in southern Mexico, where it was used as early as circa 1500 B.C.E. The ways chocolate is used in Mexico today haven't changed a lot in the centuries since. Mexican chocolate, called chocolate de mesa, or "table chocolate," is often sold in discs and is made from ground cacao, cinnamon, and granulated sugar; it can also contain chiles, nuts, or spices. The taste can be gritty, is usually mild but can be on the bitter side, and sometimes intense. 

Your enchilada sauce will benefit from the use of authentic Mexican chocolate to boost its flavor. It is usually sold in the international foods aisle at grocery stores and is often called "drinking chocolate" on brand labels. If you are unable to get real Mexican chocolate for your enchilada sauce, you can also substitute it with unsweetened cocoa powder or semisweet chocolate. Use the same amount of the substitute as Mexican chocolate called for in the recipe, and also add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon for every ounce of chocolate.

Once you see how chocolate can enrich an authentic Mexican enchilada sauce, you may find yourself craving similar sauces. If so, take a look at moles. Many Mexican mole sauces use chocolate. Consider making a mole poblano or a mole negro de Oaxaca sauce to serve with beef, chicken, pork, or fish — almost any protein plays well with chocolate moles. Moles are also often used as a sauce for vegetable and rice dishes. Mole poblano typically has a spicy kick; mole negro usually tastes more earthy, smoky, and rich.

Considered one of the original fusion foods in the Americas, there are many different versions of mole sauce. Many include nuts, seeds, various chili peppers, dried spices, and sometimes fruits or raisins. Moles are most often served as a condiment or topping with meats, versus being used as a base, such as in a soup or stew. Serve yours with your favorite tacos, tostadas, burritos, nachos, and of course, those delicious enchiladas, and you'll never look at a red sauce the same way.