The Chile Relleno is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the city of Puebla. It consists of a stuffed, roasted, fresh poblano pepper, sometimes substituted with a non-traditional Hatch Chile, Anaheim, Pasilla or even jalapeño chili pepper. In its earliest incarnations, it was described as a “green Chile pepper stuffed with minced meat and coated with eggs”. In current cuisine, it is typically stuffed with melted cheese, such as Queso Chihuahua or Queso Oaxaca or with picadillo meat made of diced pork, raisins and nuts, seasoned with canella; covered in an egg batter or simply corn masa flour and fried. Although it is often served in a tomato sauce, the sauces can vary. (Wikipedia)
Here is a Chili Relleno Recipe typical to the United States and many restaurants. I have offered their way, and how my family makes this delicious meal here, in Cozumel, Mexico. Having dueling recipes can be confusing, so read through it, and decide which way to go. Our recipe is simple and more economical.
Their Recipe:
4 large poblano peppers
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
1 (14.5 ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Cholula®)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt
5 egg whites at room temperature 1 egg yolk, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
1 cup oil for frying
sour cream for garnish
Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place the peppers onto the prepared baking sheet.
Cook under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, 8 to 10 minutes per side. When the peppers are about 80 percent blackened, place them a plastic bag, seal, and allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 20 minutes.
In our household in Mexico, the peppers are charred over the flame, there is no broiler. We have a large family; we use 12 Chili Peppers!
Once cool, remove the skins and discard. Cut open lengthwise into the side of each pepper, and remove seeds and veins. To reduce spiciness, rinse out any remaining seeds with water. Pat the peppers dry with paper towels.
No difference in the preparation of the Pepper at this point.
Mix together the shredded mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar cheese in a bowl until thoroughly blended. Divide the cheese into 4 portions, and squeeze each portion lightly in your hands to make a cone shape. Insert a cone into the slit in each pepper, and pin the openings closed with toothpicks.
We use one cheese, “Queso Oaxaca” it has a unique taste and melts into perfection. This cheese pulls apart, just cut it to your desire, pull it apart, and stuff to taste.
We also serve both meat and cheese Chili Relleno at the same time. This helps if you have company or family members that do not eat meat. I personally like one half of each, since they are both so good.
Prepare the meat first:
1 ½ pounds of ground beef and ground pork cooked well with garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and diced tomatoes. We use half of each beef and pork; you can substitute a tasty or spicy sausage to mix with the beef. We stuff six of the peppers with meat, the other half with the Oaxaca cheese.
Dredge each pepper in flour, dust off the excess, and place on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper or waxed paper. Place the peppers in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
We do not have parchment paper nor freezer space. We stop after stuffing the peppers and make the sauce.
To make sauce:
Blend the stewed tomatoes in a blender until pureed, and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook and stir for about 30 seconds, and pour in the pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, vinegar, oregano, cumin, black pepper, hot pepper sauce, and cinnamon. Reduce to medium-low, and simmer the sauce until reduced by half and thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring often.
Our sauce is very simple, 6 to 8 fresh tomatoes, stewed by boiling in water with garlic, cilantro, onions, and a dab of salt. Once stewed, puree the mixture in a blender and simmered until thick.
Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C), and warm a platter in the oven.
We cannot afford warming a platter in the oven, it is a waste of gas or electricity.
To make batter:
Mix 1/3 cup flour with salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until the whites form stiff peaks. Lightly mix the egg yolk and flour-salt mixture into the egg whites to make a fluffy batter. Remove peppers from freezer and coat them in flour again; shake off excess flour, and dip each pepper into the egg batter, using a spoon to gently but completely coat each pepper with batter.
We beat the eggs nothing in them, no separation. We then dip the stuffed pepper in the egg batter. Next, coat the pepper with plain flour and ready to fry!
Heat frying oil in a heavy cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Gently lay the coated peppers into the hot oil, and fry on both sides until the batter is golden brown and the cheese filling is hot, about 5 minutes per side. Remove peppers to warmed platter while you finish frying. To serve, ladle a generous spoonful of sauce onto plate, and place pepper on sauce. Serve peppers hot with a dollop of sour cream.
We serve our sauce on the side. I would like to tell you how to freeze these for a later time, but our Chili Relleno disappears no matter what quantity we make!
Our Ingredients:
12 Poblano Peppers
1 ½ pounds of Ground Beef and Pork Mix
1 – 1 ½ Cups Vegetable Oil
10-12 tomatoes
1 Onion (1/2 diced to fry with meat, half pureed with the sauce)
10-20 sprigs of Cilantro
2 Garlic Cloves minced each for the sauce and the meat
The usual suspects to taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Feel Free to write or call with questions!
Buccanos is rated one of the top beach snorkeling sites in Cozumel with natural sand walk-in beach, ocean view swimming pool, seaside restaurant with bar, umbrellas & palapas, showers & lockers, beach massage, snorkel equipment & kayak rental, wave runners and parasailing, poolside internet, on property tequila tour, and repel/rock climbing facility.
