Plantains look like large bananas but they are cooked rather than eaten raw. When they are ripe, their skin turns black and the flesh inside becomes very sweet. Fried in a little oil until caramelised, they turn golden-brown on the outside and soft and almost melting on the inside.
The mole sauce (pronounced 'MOH-lay') is the magical part. It is made by toasting and grinding dried chillies, then combining them with dark chocolate, tomatoes, cinnamon, cumin, and sesame seeds. The word 'mole' comes from an old language called Nahuatl and means 'sauce'. Despite having chilli in it, the sweetness of the chocolate means that the finished sauce tastes rich and warming rather than hot.
The combination of chocolate and chilli is thousands of years old. The Maya and Aztecs mixed cacao (raw chocolate) with chilli and other spices to make a drink — this was one of the earliest uses of chocolate in the world. Plátanos en mole is a modern descendant of those ancient flavour combinations.
Sesame seeds are often scattered on top of the dish at the end, adding a little crunch and a nutty flavour that contrasts with the soft plantain and smooth sauce. The whole dish is usually served warm, and the combination of textures — crispy-edged plantain, velvety mole, crunchy seeds — makes it one of the most interesting desserts you could try.