Chiles rellenos
Cheese-stuffed poblanos in a puffy egg batter with a light tomato caldillo
Chiles rellenos de queso are a Puebla classic and a fixture of Mexican home cooking: roasted poblano peppers filled with melting cheese, coated in an airy egg batter called capeado, fried until golden and served swimming in a thin, mildly spiced tomato broth (caldillo). The batter is like a soufflé omelette that hugs the chilli, and the cheese inside stretches in long strings. Serve with arroz rojo and warm tortillas. Choose an Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella made with vegetarian rennet. Chef's tip: the chillies must be completely dry and dusted with rice flour before they go into the batter; any moisture makes the egg slide off in the pan.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chillies
For the caldillo
For the capeado
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Roast 4 poblano peppers over a gas flame or under a very hot grill, turning, until blistered and charred all over, 8–10 minutes. Put them in a covered bowl to sweat for 10 minutes, then peel off the skins.
20 minStep 2: Cut a slit down one side of each chilli and scrape out the seeds and veins with a teaspoon, keeping the stalk on. Taste a corner; if fiery, soak them in salted water for 15 minutes. Pat dry inside and out with kitchen paper.
5 minStep 3: For the caldillo, blend 1 ⅓ lb ripe tomatoes, ½ white onion and 1 clove garlic until smooth. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the purée and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until it darkens.
7 minStep 4: Add 1 ¾ cups vegetable stock, ½ tsp dried Mexican oregano, 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp salt and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until it tastes rounded but is still a thin, spoonable broth, not a thick sauce. Keep warm.
15 minStep 5: Stuff each chilli with 10 ½ oz Oaxaca cheese, not overfilling, so the edges just overlap. Close with a cocktail stick if needed. Roll each one in 1 ⅜ oz rice flour and tap off the excess: the flour gives the batter something to cling to.
5 minStep 6: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil for frying in a wide, deep frying pan to 350°F over a medium-high heat, about 2 cm deep.
5 minStep 7: Meanwhile whisk the egg whites from 4 eggs with 1 pinch salt to firm, glossy peaks that hold when you tip the bowl. Whisk in the yolks one at a time, just until blended. Over-mixing knocks out the air and makes a flat, greasy coating.
4 minStep 8: Holding a chilli by its stalk, dip it into the batter and spoon more over to coat it completely, then lower it into the hot oil seam side down. Fry two at a time, spooning hot oil over the top, for 2 minutes, until puffed and golden underneath.
2 minStep 9: Turn carefully with two spatulas and fry the other side for 1–2 minutes, until deep golden and the cheese has started to melt. Drain on kitchen paper; remove the cocktail sticks.
2 minStep 10: Ladle hot caldillo into shallow bowls and set a chile relleno in the middle. Serve at once, while the batter is puffy.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chiles rellenos take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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