Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)

You will need Poblano peppers for this recipe, do not substitute the pepper because the results will definitely not be the same. I explained and described these peppers in detail in the post: Creamy Poblano Rice, if you want to read that section. Pretty much, these peppers are big, long and dark green in color. They are mild in taste although sometimes you might end up with one or two that are a little spicy. The particular peppers I used for this recipe, I found at Walmart and they were not as big as they usually are, but they still work just fine. Also, there are a few variations of chiles rellenos out there, some are stuffed with meat, others with cheese. My very favorite (and my husbands) are the ones stuffed with Mexican fresh cheese (Queso Fresco).

Ingredients :

Poblano Peppers

Mexican Fresh Cheese

5 eggs (separate the whites with the yolks)

salt

corn starch or flour

toothpicks

oil to fry

1 onion (cut in half and then slice)

Sauce Ingredients:

4 tomatoes or 1 can of whole tomatoes

2 guajillo peppers

4 whole pepper kernels

1 garlic clove

Instructions for peppers:

If you have a gas stove, place the peppers over the burner, if not you can use a gas or electric grill. You will need to rotate them as soon as one side is ready (the pepper skin will turn dark, almost black). Make sure you watch the peppers because you can easily overcook them.

Once you have grilled your peppers all around, cover them with a kitchen towel and stick the towel inside a plastic bag, then tie a knot on the bag to prevent the steam to release. You do this so that the warm steam helps to loosen the skin of the peppers.


After about 10 minutes, remove the peppers one by one out of the bag and start peeling them. Peel as much of the skin as possible. When you are done, you need to cut a slit on the side of the pepper and then pull the seeds and veins out (you should wear a latex glove so you don't irritate your skin). Be careful with the peppers as they can easily tear at this point, especially if you overcooked them.


When you are done cleaning the peppers, crumb the cheese and stuff the peppers generously, then close pepper using a toothpick.

Whip egg whites until stiff and then add yolks and salt to taste.Rub the stuffed peppers with corn starch or flour. This process will help the egg stick to the peppers.

Dip the peppers in the egg batter and transfer immediately to hot frying oil.

Fry peppers all around until they get a golden brown color. This process will not take long at all. Also, make sure the oil is not super hot, medium heat is just fine.

When the egg has gotten a golden brown color, transfer pepper on a dish with paper towels to eliminate excess oil. Let sit for a while and then turn over so that the paper towels can absorb the oil from the other side.

Instructions for Sauce:

Place tomatoes and guajillo peppers in a saucepan and boil. When ready, transfer to blender along with the whole peppers, garlic clove and salt. Blend well. Use a colander to transfer sauce onto the pan where you'll finish cooking the stuffed peppers (This step is similar to the sauce for Sopa de Albondigas/Mexican Meatball Soup...also on a previous post if you need to refer to it). You will probably have to add more water to the sauce because you want the sauce to be soupy. Add more salt if necessary. Add stuffed peppers and onion slices and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Let me know if you have any questions or the instructions were unclear.