Mexican · Norteño · main

Machaca con Huevo

Machaca con Huevo reads richness 5.3, allium 3.9 and heat 3.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican · Norteño main, about 43 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 3.9 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 2.9 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 2.4 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.2 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.5 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.3 · Allium 3.9 · Heat 3.7 · Salinity 3.6 · Umami 2.9 · Sweetness 2.3 · Sourness 2.3 · Fruity 2.1 · Herbaceous 1.7 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Earthy 1.1 · Nutty 0.9 · Bitterness 0.8 · Citrus 0.6

What's in it (12)

• machaca — 200 g
• eggs — 400 g
• beef tallow — 27 g
• white onion — 180 g
• tomatoes — 400 g
• chiles verdes del norte — 200 g
• serrano chiles — 200 g
• garlic — 6 g
• flour tortillas — 800 g
• salt — 5 g
• black pepper — 3 g
• avocado — 200 g

Time & effort: about 43 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 133.9 kcal, 4.9 g protein, 4.8 g fat, 17.6 g carbs

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

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. North of the Bajío the tortilla is wheat, not corn, and machaca is the northern larder in one ingredient: beef dried in the desert air and pounded to threads on a stone.
2. Pound or rub the machaca between your palms for 10 minutes until the threads separate and fluff up. If it is very hard and salty, cover it with warm water for 5 minutes and squeeze it out.
3. Char the chiles verdes over a flame 8 minutes until blistered and black, sweat them covered, peel and dice.
4. Melt the tallow and cook the onion 5 minutes until translucent, then the garlic and serrano for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomato and cook 8 minutes over medium-high heat until the liquid has gone and the mixture pulls together — a wet base makes a watery machaca.
6. Stir in the machaca and the diced green chile and let it fry 4 minutes so the beef takes on the fat and softens.
7. Pour the eggs in and stir slowly with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes, pulling the curds toward you and taking the pan off the heat while they are still glossy. Season.
8. Heat the flour tortillas on a dry comal until they puff and blister, and serve with avocado and árbol salsa.
9. Substitutions: lard can stand in for the beef tallow; Anaheim chiles (about 200 g) can stand in for the chiles verdes del norte.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Fërgesë Tirane me Gjizë (Peppers and Curd in the Pan) — Albanian
• Menemen — Turkish
• Ojja Merguez — Tunisian
• Croquetas de Jamón — Spanish
• Chilaquiles Rojos — Mexican

Keep reading: what richness, allium, heat 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.