Dish No. 68: Chicken Mole Enchiladas at Tulcingo Del Valle

​Welcome to 100 Dishes to Eat Now, Fork in the Road’s handy list of some of our favorite dishes — old standbys and new finds alike — compiled daily.

Today’s pick: Chicken mole enchiladas at Tulcingo Del Valle (665 Tenth Avenue, 212-262-5510).

Mole poblano is Mexico’s wildest sauce, containing nuts, numerous dried and fresh chiles, raisins, and — stealth ingredient — chocolate, developing a midnight-brown color and an intriguing spicy/nutty/fruity flavor. It was supposedly invented by nuns in the 18th century who were preparing a meal for a visiting archbishop. But the complex, chile-bearing composition suggests a much earlier, pre-Columbian origin, and the taste is reminiscent of the sorts of foods that the Aztecs and other Indian tribes ate.

At Tulcingo Del Valle — a Pueblan grocery in Hell’s Kitchen that morphed into a restaurant — you can have this splendid homemade mole on a half-chicken, or on three chicken enchiladas ($11.50), along with achiote rice, refried beans topped with crumbly cheese, and a dab of sauce-style guacamole (the cook also makes a traditional stand-alone guacamole that’s chunkier and spicier).

A table of Westchester high school students preparing to enjoy their first taste of southern Mexican cooking at Tulcingo Del Valle.

Next: Survey the entire countdown so far …

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Previously in the countdown:
Dish No. 100: Zaragoza Grocery’s Flor de Calabaza Quesadilla
Dish No. 99: No. 7 Sub Shop’s General Tso’s Tofu Sandwich
Dish No. 98: Nigerian Goat Stew From Baku
Dish No. 97: The Captain’s Daughter From Saltie
Dish No. 96: Bun Bo Hue From Thanh Da
Dish No. 95: The Beauty From Mile End
Dish No. 94: Potato, Egg, and Provolone on a Roll at Torrisi Italian Specialties
Dish No. 93: The Terrine Board at the Breslin Bar and Dining Room
Dish No. 92: Sausage and Egg Breakfast at La Bonbonniere
Dish No. 91: Roasted Carrots at Porchettta
Dish No. 90: Spicy Miso Ramen at Ramen Setagaya
Dish No. 89: Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie From First Prize Pies
Dish No. 88: Brown Butter, Corn, and Mushroom Linguine at Buttermilk Channel
Dish No. 87: Katsudon at Ennju
Dish No. 86: Fried Chicken With Two Sides at Soul Fixins
Dish No. 85: Fried Lamb Intestines at El Quinto Pino
Dish No. 84: Kunafa From Nablus Sweets
Dish No. 83: Potato Flatbread at Sahadi’s
Dish No. 82: Chicken-Fried Chicken Livers at Cornbread Diner
Dish No. 81: Taleggio, Broccoli Rabe, and Sausage Panini at Bocca Lupo
Dish No. 80: Hamburger at M. Wells in Long Island City
Dish No. 79: Vanilla Malted at Brooklyn Farmacy
Dish No. 78: Seafood Combo With Hot Sauce From Randazzo’s Clam Bar
Dish No. 77: Fried Ipswich Clams at Ed’s Lobster Bar
Dish No. 76: Banh Uot Thit Nuong (Grilled Pork and Noodles) at Co Ba
Dish No. 75: Schiacciata con l’Uva at Sullivan Street Bakery
Dish No. 74: Cornish Pasty at Myers of Keswick
Dish No. 73: Baklava at Güllüoglu
Dish No. 72: Sauerkraut Noodles at 8th Avenue Noodles
Dish No. 71: The Super Heebster at Russ & Daughters
Dish No. 70: Grilled Octopus at Thistle Hill Tavern
Dish No. 69: Firefly Squid at Momokawa