Mexican · Puebla · snack

Chalupas Poblanas

Name: Chalupas Poblanas
Prep time: 1 h 31 min
Total time: 1 h 31 min
Cuisine: Mexican · Puebla
Ingredients: masa harina — 500 g; salt — 5 g; pork lard — 150 g; tomatillo — 400 g; serrano chiles — 600 g; tomatoes — 300 g; guajillo chiles — 600 g; garlic — 12 g; white onion — 100 g; pork shoulder roast — 400 g; white onion — 120 g

Chalupas Poblanas reads richness 6.2, umami 4.9 and allium 4.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican · Puebla snack, about 1 hr 31 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 5.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.7 / 10
Sour & Bright — 4.1 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.0 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.6 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.2 · Umami 4.9 · Allium 4.1 · Salinity 3.6 · Heat 3.6 · Sourness 3.4 · Fruity 2.9 · Sweetness 2.5 · Citrus 2.1 · Herbaceous 1.9 · Earthy 1.8 · Nutty 1.2 · Bitterness 1.1 · Floral 1.0 · Warm Spice 0.8

What's in it (11)

masa harina — 500 g
salt — 5 g
pork lard — 150 g
tomatillo — 400 g
serrano chiles — 600 g
tomatoes — 300 g
guajillo chiles — 600 g
garlic — 12 g
white onion — 100 g
pork shoulder roast — 400 g
white onion — 120 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 31 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 148.5 kcal, 3.8 g protein, 8.5 g fat, 14.3 g carbs

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

How it's cooked (6 steps)

Chalupas are made and eaten in a rhythm: a pan of lard on one burner, two bowls of salsa beside it, and a plate handed over every twenty seconds. They do not keep even five minutes.
Knead the salt into the masa 3 minutes, then press small ovals about 8 cm long and 4 mm thick and cook them on a comal 3 minutes the first side, 2 the second, until dry and freckled.
For the green salsa, char the tomatillos and serranos on the comal 8 minutes until slack and blistered, then blend with half the garlic and onion and salt.
For the red, char the tomatoes alongside and toast the guajillos 20 seconds a side until they smell of dried fruit — guajillo skin is thin and scorches quickly — then blend with the remaining garlic and onion.
Poach and shred the pork; an hour at a bare simmer with salt is all it needs.
Heat a 5 mm depth of lard in a wide pan until it shimmers, lay the chalupas in, and while they sizzle spoon salsa straight onto them — half green, half red, the way they are sold on the Calle Santa Clara. Give them 1 minute, lift them out with the salsa still bubbling, and top with pork and raw onion.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Ojja Merguez — Tunisian
Memelas con Asiento y Quesillo — Mexican · Oaxaca
One-Pan Sausage and Peppers — Italian-American
Machaca con Huevo — Mexican · Norteño
Beef Enchiladas with Chili Gravy — Tex-Mex

Keep reading: what richness, umami, allium 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.