How to make mole like a Mexican – there is more to the rich sauces than chilli and chocolate

Oaxaca seems to be a magical place, at least, it does the way American restaurateur Bricia Lopez lovingly describes the Mexican state where she was born. In the introduction to her cookbook, Oaxaca (2019), she writes, “All along the south­eastern reaches of Mexico, nestled along­side the Pacific Coast one state away from Central America, lies a land of rugged mountains, narrow canyons, arid flatlands, lush valleys and a blue sky that goes on as far as the eye can see. It is a land of ancient…