Mexican · Puebla · main

Cemita Poblana de Milanesa

Name: Cemita Poblana de Milanesa
Prep time: 22 min
Total time: 22 min
Cuisine: Mexican · Puebla
Ingredients: cemita rolls — 400 g; beef — 600 g; eggs — 100 g; regular milk — 15 g; bread crumbs — 150 g; all-purpose flour — 80 g; salt — 5 g; black pepper — 3 g; lard — 276 g; quesillo — 250 g; avocados — 400 g; pápalo leaves — 20 g; chipotles en adobo — 600 g; white onion — 180 g

Cemita Poblana de Milanesa reads richness 5.8, umami 5.5 and salinity 3.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican · Puebla main, about 22 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 5.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.5 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.9 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.5 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.0 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 2.9 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.8 · Umami 5.5 · Salinity 3.5 · Allium 2.7 · Warm Spice 1.4 · Earthy 1.4 · Sweetness 1.3 · Heat 0.9 · Bitterness 0.8 · Nutty 0.7 · Sourness 0.7 · Herbaceous 0.5 · Citrus 0.5 · Fruity 0.5

What's in it (14)

cemita rolls — 400 g
beef — 600 g
eggs — 100 g
regular milk — 15 g
bread crumbs — 150 g
all-purpose flour — 80 g
salt — 5 g
black pepper — 3 g
lard — 276 g
quesillo — 250 g
avocados — 400 g
pápalo leaves — 20 g
chipotles en adobo — 600 g
white onion — 180 g

Time & effort: about 22 min · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 101.1 kcal, 6.2 g protein, 5.4 g fat, 6.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

The pápalo is not a garnish and there is no substitute for it. It tastes like cilantro crossed with arugula and rue, and a cemita without it is just a sandwich.
Pound the beef between two sheets of plastic until it is an even 5 mm and noticeably wider than the roll.
Dredge each slice in the seasoned flour, then the egg, then press it firmly into the breadcrumbs on both sides so the coating stays put in the pan.
Fry in lard at 180°C for 3 minutes a side, until the crust is deep gold and crackles when you tap it. Drain standing on end, not flat, or the underside steams and goes soft.
Split the cemitas and toast the cut faces on a dry comal 2 minutes until just warm — the crumb inside should stay soft.
Build in this order: quesillo on the hot milanesa so it slumps, then avocado, then a handful of pápalo leaves, chipotle with a spoon of its adobo, and shaved onion. Press the lid down hard and eat it before the bread gives out.
Substitutions: neutral oil can stand in for the lard.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Dyrlægens Natmad (The Veterinarian's Midnight Snack) — Danish
Pierekaczewnik (Podlasie Tatar Layered Meat Pie) — Polish
Swedish Meat Balls — Other
Scrapple (Pannhaas) — American · Pennsylvania Dutch
German Pizza — German

Keep reading: what richness, umami, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.