MolesHard

Mole de Caderas (Seasonal Goat Hip Mole)

Name: Mole de Caderas (Seasonal Goat Hip Mole)
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 180 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1200 g Caderas de chivo; 100 g Hojas de huaje (guaje); 300 g Tomatillos; 200 g Green beans; 1 White onion; 4 Garlic cloves; 1 bunch Fresh cilantro; 1 to taste Salt; 10 Chiles costenos amarillos secos

180 min (60 prep + 120 cook) Hard 8 servings Puebla

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: Mar 20, 2026 · Updated: May 12, 2026

Seasonal Mixtec goat mole with costeno chile and huaje leaves, heritage of the Mixteca.

About this recipe

Mole de caderas is a sacred seasonal dish from the Mixtec region of Puebla and Oaxaca. It is made with the hips of free-range goat slaughtered during the October matanza, cooked in a mole of costeno chile and huaje leaves. It can only be enjoyed between October and November.

History & Origin

Mole de caderas, also known as huaxmole or the matanza festival, is one of the most ritualistic and seasonal dishes in all of Mexican gastronomy. Its origin dates back to the colonial era in the Mixtec region shared by Puebla and Oaxaca, particularly in the cities of Tehuacan and Huajuapan de Leon. Each year, between October and November, the slaughter takes place of the Criollo goats that have grazed freely throughout the year in the Mixtec mountains, feeding on wild herbs that give their meat a unique and unrepeatable flavour. The goat hips are the most prized cuts and are reserved for preparing this special mole with yellow costeno chile, huaje leaves and green tomato. The matanza celebration is a social event that brings together entire communities and attracts food lovers from across Mexico. Mole de caderas cannot be reproduced at any other time of year or with any other type of meat, as the flavour depends directly on the wild herbs the goats consume during their grazing. In 2015 it was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Puebla.

Estimated cost

$24.00

Total cost

$3.00

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on US supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

420

Calories

32g

Protein

18g

Carbohydrates

22g

Fat

Fiber

850mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Cook the caderas of chivo in water with salt, onion and garlic for 1.5 hours over medium heat until the meat this tender. Set aside the stock.
2
Toast the chiles costenos in a comal (flat griddle) without quemar. Soak them in hot water 15 minutes. Licua with the tomatillos cocidos and a little stock until you get a smooth sauce.
3
Toast the leaves of huaje in the comal (flat griddle) until esten slightly doradas. Grind them in molcajete (stone mortar) or blender.
4
In a pot, frie the sauce of chile for 10 minutes. Add the huaje molido and enough stock of chivo for lograr the consistency deseada.
5
Fold in the green beans cortados into pieces and cook 10 minutes. Add the caderas of chivo cocidas to the mole.
6
Cook all junto 15-20 minutes mas over low heat for that the flavours integren. El mole should be thick pero caldoso.
7
Serve hot with tortillas of maiz, fresh cilantro and a little stock extra to the lado.