Crema de chile poblano
Creamy poblano soup
Crema de poblano: Puebla's smoky, pale-green cream of roasted poblano soup
In Puebla, where poblano chiles take their name, this pale-jade soup appears at family lunches and on the menu of almost every cocina económica. Roasted chiles are blended with onion, a little corn and milk, then enriched with cream, so the flavour is smoky and mellow with just a flicker of heat. Serve it with crisp tortilla strips or a few corn kernels on top. Chef's tip: roast a couple of extra chiles while the grill is hot; the strips keep for four days and lift any taco or quesadilla.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 oz butter
- 1 white onionchopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 ½ oz sweetcorn kernelsfresh or frozen
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ oz fresh coriander
- 1 tsp salt
To serve
- 1 handful crisp fried corn tortilla strips (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Char the 4 poblano chiles over a gas flame or under a very hot grill for 8 minutes, turning, until the skin is blistered and black all over.
8 minStep 2: Put the chiles in a bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Rub off the skin with your fingers and remove the stems and seeds. Don't rinse them under the tap: that washes away the smoky flavour.
10 minStep 3: Melt the 1 oz butter in a pan over a medium heat and cook the 1 white onion and 2 cloves garlic for 5 minutes until soft.
5 minStep 4: Add the chopped chiles, the 5 ½ oz sweetcorn kernels, 2 ½ cups whole milk, 1 cup water and 1 tsp salt. Simmer gently for 12 minutes until the corn is tender.
12 minStep 5: Blend with the ⅓ oz fresh coriander until completely smooth, then return to the pan.
3 minStep 6: Stir in the ½ cup double cream or Mexican crema and heat for 2 minutes until steaming, without boiling. Taste for salt and serve topped with 1 handful crisp fried corn tortilla strips.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does crema de chile poblano take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 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 butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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