← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 6 Dried guajillo chillies, stemmed and seeded
• 2 Dried ancho / guajillo chillies, stemmed and seeded
• 2 corn tortillas (day-old is fine)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1 large orange, juice and a strip of peel
• 2 tbsp grated piloncillo or brown sugar
• 20 g Mexican or dark chocolate
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• 3 Cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 tbsp lard or oil
• Salt

Method

1. Put the pork in a wide pot with 250 ml water and a teaspoon of salt. Simmer, covered, for 40 min, then uncover and let the water cook away so the meat fries in its own fat for 8–10 min, until golden.
2. Meanwhile, toast the chillies in a dry pan for a few seconds per side until fragrant, then soak in hot water for 15 min. Toast the tortillas until crisp and tear them up.
3. Blend the drained chillies, tortillas, onion, garlic, orange juice and peel, piloncillo, chocolate and spices with 500 ml water until completely smooth.
4. Lift the pork out. Add the lard to the pot and strain the sauce in. Fry over medium heat for 10 min, stirring often, until it darkens and thickens.
5. Return the pork with the bay leaves and enough water to loosen the sauce. Simmer gently for 40 min, until the meat is very tender and the sauce coats a spoon. Season with salt.
6. Serve with Mexican red rice and beans, as at a wedding feast.

Tips

• Like most moles, asado tastes even better made a day ahead; reheat gently with a splash of water.
• Some Mexican chocolate contains milk; check the label if you need it dairy-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Maricruz Avalos Mexico in My Kitchen