Mexican · Oaxaca · main
Tasajo Asado con Salsa de Chile Pasilla Mixe
Tasajo Asado con Salsa de Chile Pasilla Mixe reads umami 6.1, citrus 5.5 and sourness 5.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican · Oaxaca main, about 1 hr 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 6.5 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 3.3 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 7.1 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 2.1 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 5.4 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 4.2 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Umami 6.1 · Citrus 5.5 · Sourness 5.3 · Richness 5.2 · Salinity 3.9 · Allium 3.8 · Fruity 2.6 · Herbaceous 2.4 · Sweetness 2.2 · Earthy 1.8 · Bitterness 1.1 · Floral 1.0 · Smoke 1.0 · Heat 1.0 · Nutty 0.9 · Warm Spice 0.8
What's in it (10)
- beef — 800 g
- salt — 30 g
- chiles pasilla mixe — 40 g
- tomatillo — 220 g
- garlic — 9 g
- white onion — 60 g
- spring onions — 200 g
- avocados — 400 g
- corn tortillas — 800 g
- lime — 65 g
Time & effort: about 1 hr 30 min (30 min active) · effort: medium
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 186.1 kcal, 9.8 g protein, 5.7 g fat, 25.1 g carbs
Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (5 steps)
- Lay the sheet of beef flat, rub it all over with the coarse salt, and leave it an hour at room temperature. This is a light cure, not a brine — the salt is what gives tasajo its density and its faintly dried edge.
- Toast the pasilla mixe on the comal only 15 to 20 seconds a side. They arrive already smoked, so all you want is to wake them up; another ten seconds and the smoke turns to soot.
- Char the tomatillos, garlic and onion until blackened and soft, about 10 minutes, then blend everything with a splash of water into a salsa that is deliberately coarse and unapologetically smoky.
- Grill the beef over hot charcoal a bare 2 to 3 minutes total, turning once. Cut this thin, it wants heat and speed; the moment it stiffens it is done.
- Grill the cebollitas alongside 8 minutes, turning, until the bulbs are soft and black-streaked. Mash the avocado roughly with salt, warm the tortillas on the comal, and serve everything on one board with lime.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Tlayuda con Asiento, Frijol y Quesillo — Mexican · Oaxaca
- Slow-Roasted Greek Leg of Lamb with Lemon Potatoes — Greek
- Greek Meatball Soup with Egg-Lemon Broth — Greek
- Beef and Bean Chili Verde — Tex-Mex
- Sopa de Lima — Mexican
Keep reading: what umami, citrus, sourness 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.