Chiles Rellenos Recipe
Chile rellenos means “stuffed peppers in English”. A traditional Mexican dish made from roasted and peeled poblano peppers. Traditionally, Chile rellenos are stuffed with cheese and/or ground meat, then coated in egg batter and fried until golden brown.
Rellenos come with red or green salsa, or even wrapped in a tortilla with refried beans to make chile relleno burritos mouth watering dishes.
The following recipe is a combination of several recipe ideas. You can find great instruction and pictures on the following site: https://www.isabeleats.com/chile-relleno-recipe
Chiles Rellenos
Ingredients
Chiles:
- 6 large poblano chiles or 12 smaller chiles
- 8 ounces string cheese Oaxacan-style mozzarella, or Monterey Jack
Batter:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dredging
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon fine salt plus more for sprinkling
- 12 oz beer 12-ounce bottle or can lager-style
- 3 whole eggs separated
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Mexican Tomato Sauce:
- 2 pounds tomatoes ripe cored and roughly chopped
- 1/4 c onion medium yellow
- 6 cloves garlic
- 5 sprigs coriander fresh cilantro
- 1 whole serrano chile with seeds
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon ground preferably Mexican
Instructions
To prepare the chiles:
- Position a rack on the upper most shelf of the broiler element and preheat. Put the chiles on a foil-lined broiler pan and broil, turning occasionally with tongs, until the skin is charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, cover, and cool for 10 minutes.
- Carefully rub the charred skin off the chiles. Using a small knife, make a lengthwise slit along the side of each chile to form a pocket. Carefully cut out and discard the seeds.
Cheese:
- Cut the cheese into 6 (1/4-inch-thick) slabs, about 3/4 the length of each chile (your chiles probably vary in length, so tailor the cheese to the chiles). Slip the cheese pieces into the pocket of each chile so they’re 2/3 full. (If the cheese protrudes from the chiles, just cut a little off.) “Sew” each chile shut with a wooden skewer or long toothpick. (The skewers should be longer than the chiles, so they can be easily pulled out after frying.) The cheese can also be grated and then stuffed into the chiles.
Batter:
- Make the egg batter by separating the yolks and whites from 3 eggs. Place the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a small bowl.Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Then continue beating them on low and add in egg yolks one at a time until they’re all mixed together. The batter should be light, fluffy and golden yellow. Stir in the beer to a make a smooth batter.
Dry Ingredients:
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, cumin, and salt in a separate large bowl.
- put the dry ingredients on a plate or tray for dredging.
Frying:
- In a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot, pour in the oil to a depth of about 3 inches. Heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 365 degrees F.
- Working in 2 batches, dredge the chiles in the flour (the dampness of the chiles creates a light paste with the flour that seals over any tears), dip in the batter, and carefully add to the oil. Fry, turning the chiles once, until golden brown and crispy, about 4 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer the chiles rellenos to a dry paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Sprinkle with salt, to taste. Gently pull out and discard the skewers.
Mexican Tomato Sauce:
- In a blender, combine all the ingredients and puree until smooth.
- Transfer the tomato puree to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until slightly thick, about 10 minutes.
- Yield: about 3 cups
To Serve:
- Heat the sauce. Spoon some of the sauce on a plate and set 1 chile relleno on top. Repeat with the remaining sauce and chiles. Serve.
- Enjoy !!