Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Poblano Peppers)

This recipe is the ultimate traditional Mexican recipe, its hearty flavors bring up memories of mom’s or grandma’s home cooking. They can be stuffed with cheese, tuna, or even refried beans.

Ingredients:

• 6 Poblano peppers
• 500 gr of Mozzarella cheese (you can use White Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or any other melting cheese)
• 6 egg whites (yolks won’t be used for the recipe)
• 1/2 cup of flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Canola or Corn oil

Preparation:

• Roast the peppers, you can use a gas burner on high, a hot pan on a stovetop, or in the oven, until they are slightly charred.
• Remove peppers and transfer to a plastic bag, and seal them up. Allow cooling. Once cooled, gently peel off the blackened skins.

• Cut your cheese into 1.5 cm slices and then cut them into thin strips.
• Open the peppers carefully making a small incision on the side just big enough to fit the cheese bars. Don’t overstuff them.
• Close the peppers and secure them with a toothpick or two. Make sure there are no big openings or cheese will fall out when cooking peppers.
• Mix the whites 1/2 teaspoon of salt and add pepper to taste.
• Beat the egg whites in a mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
• Sift your flour in a bowl or a deep dish. Mix the flour with a tablespoon of cornstarch.
• In a deep frying pan or a small pot add the cooking oil and warm it up to at least 350 degrees F.
• Roll gently the peppers in the flour mix then deep them in the egg batter until they are completely covered. Use the pepper stem to hold it and use a small spoon to help you cover the areas without batter.

• Place the pepper (preferably once at a time if the pan is small) on the hot oil and cook for 2 minutes per side. Once you place the pepper on the oil, use a spoon to pour hot oil on the uncooked side to help the batter start cooking before you turn it and avoid batter breaks when you flip it.
• Cook them until both sides are golden brown, and transfer them to a big plate with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Continue with the rest of the peppers and serve warm.
• Plate them with freshly cooked rice on the side and a simple tomato sauce (tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro) on top, if you want to reduce spiciness you can use sour cream.