Wipe the chiles clean with a damp paper towel. Cut off the stems, cut or rip open and remove the membrane and seeds from all of the chiles. Reserve 1/2 teaspoon of seeds from each type of chile and mix in a bowl together.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large spot. Once warm add the dried chiles and lightly fry each one just until they begin to darken a little bit – keep a close eye and do it in small batches so they don’t burn and turn bitter. Remove the chiles and set aside.

Add the tomato halves, onion pieces and garlic cloves to the pot. Fry on both sides or until softened and they begin to turn golden brown. The garlic cloves will take just a few minutes, remove them so they don’t turn bitter.

In a separate large dry skillet, over low heat, toast the whole spices one by one then place them in a small bowl. You’ll also need to dry roast the chile seeds for 1-2 minutes. My mom says you can also toast the sesame seeds, just be careful because if you toast too long they will pop out of the pan. She also said that instead of dry roasting you can fry them in oil. It’s up to you.

Once the tomatoes, garlic and onion are cooked add all of the chiles, some broth and the toasted spices. Simmer over medium heat until the chiles are completely soft.

Carefully use a slotted spoon to place the vegetables and chiles in a blender cup. Then pour in all the boiling broth. Place the lid on the blender, cover with a thick kitchen towel and blend until perfectly smooth.

Place a fine sieve over the same pot you fried and simmered the ingredients then strain the blended salsa into the pot. Pour in the remaining vegetable broth into the blender cup to grab any remaining salsa then strain it through the sieve. Discard any leftover bits.

Add the salt to the mole sauce, cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl mix the masa harina with water until you have a smooth sauce. Pour into the mole sauce, mix well to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Simmer for at least another 10 minutes.