Notes on Making Chiles Rellenos (2024)

Noteson Making Chiles Rellenos

Chiles rellenos (literally, 'stuffed peppers')are super easy to make. Here are a few general tips:

The chiles : The best chiles for rellenosare fresh poblanos and related varieties. If you can grow them, plant Poblano,Mulato Isleno, and Pasilla. Let them ripen to red or brown (the poblanosin stores are almost always picked green). Stuffed jalapeno peppersmake an excellent (though sometimes spicy) appetizer. If you must,you can get canned chiles already roasted and peeled. But there isno comparison with using fresh chiles, especially fully ripe ones.

Roasting : You can roast the peppersover a charcoal grill or gas burner, but we generally spread them out ontin foil and roast them under the broiler. Keep and eye on them,and turn them to toast them evenly all the way around. It's ok ifthey get a little black - that's just the outer skin separating and burning- but be careful not to let them cook so much that the flesh dries out.When a pepper has been toasted on all sides, drop it into a plastic bag(don't use the extremely thin bags, as they may melt). Keep the bag twistedshut. When all the peppers are in the bag, let it sit for 10 minutes orso to sweat. (Alternately, wrap the roasted peppers in a damp towel.)

Peeling : Rinse each pepper under coldwater and pull away the papery outer skin. Don't worry if it alldoesn't come off, but get as much of the loose skin as possible.If the chile hasn't already split open, split it with a fingernail andremove all the seeds. Try to keep the stem attached: it's a nicetouch to serve the rellenos with the stem protruding at one end.If a pepper shreds, save the pieces. You can use them to patch otherchiles as you fill them. (If your skin is sensitive to the oils inthe peppers, try rinsing your hands in lemon juice while handling them.)

The seeds : You can save the seedsfrom the chiles and make an excellent condiment out of them. Toastthem in a dry skillet or in the oven until they start to brown, then grindthem together with dried peppercorns (in approximately a 2:1 ratio of seedsto pepper). Store this spice in a sealed jar and use it to flavorrelleno fillings, soups, and other Mexican dishes.

Stuffing : Though most chiles rellenosyou find in Mexican restaurants are stuffed with cheese, there are endlesspossibilities. They are easier to stuff if the filling has enoughof a binder (cheese, egg, rice) to hold together when squeezed into a ball,but even that is not a requirement. It's easiest to stuff all thechiles at once and place them on a plate to hold them for the next step.You can use a little bit of flour to bind the overlapped edges. Ifa pepper falls apart as you are stuffing it, do the best you can to squeezethe stuffing into a chile-shaped ball inside strips of chile. Thebatter will help the whole thing hold together.

Batter : There are lots of ways tocoat and fry chiles rellenos. Here is our favorite, which happensto be very easy and requires almost no grease: Separate eggs (you'llneed 1 egg to coat 2-3 rellenos), add a pinch of salt to the whites, andbeat them until completely stiff. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of flourover them. Add a teaspoon of water to the yolks, beat them briefly,then fold them into the whites in a few strokes. That's all thereis to it. Dip each relleno into the batter and place it on a lightlygreased hot griddle or pan. You don't have to be careful about coatingthe rellenos evenly. When you've dipped them all, you can carefullypour the extra batter over the frying chiles.

Frying : Cook the rellenos on one sideuntil the batter on the bottom has turned golden brown. Carefullyflip them over. It often works best to cook them on three sides,to get all the batter to cook evenly. Serve them immediately or keepthem warm on a plate in the oven until you are ready to serve. Checkout our recipes for serving suggestions and sauces.

Enjoy!! And sendus email if you have any questions or want to tell us about your chilerelleno-making experience!