Chile Rellenos

Prep/Cook Time: 1 hour

Coat Pasilla Chiles with a little bit of vegetable oil using your hands.

Place chiles to an open flame or hot pan to char. Make sure chiles are burned on all sides.

Then place charred chiles in an air tight ziplock bag or container to steam for 30 minutes.

Prepare the Sauce

Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a stock pot over a medium high flame. Allow to get hot.

Add the onion, and garlic cloves to the oil and sauté for a 5 minutes.

Sprinkle in black pepper, oregano, salt, and garlic powder. Mix to combine.

Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons flour and allow the flour to absorb all the oil by mixing to combine.

Add in tomato sauce, and water. Mix to combine. Lower the flame to a simmer and cover with lid.

Prepare the Chiles

Remove chiles from ziplock  and with a butter knife gently scrape the charred chiles skin off of chiles.

Then take a knife and make a small slit in the shape of a ‘T’, across the top and down the center.

Carefully stuff each chile with ¼ cup of shredded Oaxaca cheese. Set to the side.

Place 1 cup of flour in a dish and season with black pepper, oregano, salt, and garlic powder. Mix to combine.

Dip chiles into flour mixture to coat. Shake to remove excess flour.

In a large frying pan over a medium high flame add in 2 cups of vegetable oil and allow to heat.

Break the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites in two separate bowls.

Place the egg whites in a stand-up mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk on high until firm peaks form about 3 minutes.

Once the egg whites are stiff pour in the yolks and gently mix them together.

Dip your floured/stuffed chile into the egg batter and with both hands pull it out and place in the hot oil. Any excess batter that is on the hands place on top of chile in the pan.

Using a spatula gently splash some oil on the top of the chile relleno while it’s cooking and then once the bottom is golden flip it onto the other side for even cooking. This is the trickiest part of the process. I use both tongs and a spatula to flip.

Cook until golden crisp.

Remove from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Once ready to serve, pour ¼ cup sauce into a shallow bowl and place chile relleno on top.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons queso fresco and a pinch of cilantro.

Recipe and image created by Ericka Sanchez/@nibblesnfeasts and Nicole Presley/@presleyspantry for the CMAB