When I was oh so young, the chile relleno became my favorite food. (This may account for how I was such a skinny girl, but became such a plump adult.) Far from a health food, this is a cheese filled roasted pepper dipped in batter and fried. I test every mexican restaurant’s authenticity by ordering a relleno on my first try. I can tell you that there are many, many interpretations.
Relleno means stuffed, so there is no “wrong,” way to stuff a pepper. As well is there no wrong pepper to stuff. A jalapeno popper is a type of chile relleno. A stuffed bell pepper- also a kind of chile relleno-in the literal sense. I have seen amazing recipes of stuffed, baked ancho (dried poblano) chiles stuffed with corn and vegetables. However, the standard American Mexican interpretation is a pasilla, poblano, or (in worst case) anaheim chile stuffed with cheese.
I like to mix mine up and stuff them with crab or shrim in addition to cheese when I’m feeling fancy. I have had them stuffed with chicken and ground beef in cases. But today I had no fresh crab, and no time for shelling shrimp.
The measure of a good chile is if you know it came from a fresh chile. The very worst chile relleno I have ever had was in one of the fanciest mexican restaurants in Yakima. It was, as is many a generic americanized mexi stop, a canned “ortega,” (anaheim-there is no ortega type of chile or pepper unless it grew in a can. i keep a can of these around-mostly for burgers) chile fried up witth egg and cheese in some type of omelette. This is a lazy way to do things, and completely unnecessary if you have a commercial kitchen. It would be better to order frozen authentic ones from a food service and throw them in the fryer, but not as cost effective. if you go to a restaurant that serves these, they porobably also have reconstituted powdered beans covered in cheese, and a flavorless rice made with tomato sauce. avoid such places for anything other than chimichangas and happy hour margaritas. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU!
So roasting and peeling the chiles is a laborious act of love. It took me years of helping in kitchens, asking for help in kitchens and spying into restaurant kitchens to get it right. But I finally learned to make it easy on my self. In the summer you throw them on the grill, in the winter you put them under your broiler on a foil lined baking sheet. only takes a few minutes on each side in the broiler. Having a butane kitchen torch is great for spots that did not blister. You want them to blacken and blister but not burn! Once they come out, transfer to a plastic grocery bag or paper bag depending on your preference, and seal it. this will sweat the chiles, so that the skins will peel easily. This is a step i will generally do ahead of time if I am already roasting tomatoes and chiles for salsa or if the grill is warming up before a bbq.
once the chiles are cool, and they cool in the fridge for a few days, begin to peel the skins off. to get them super clean use a cloth or paper towel to ensure you rub all the skin off. I am not this meticulous of only making four for myself. I do suggest it when cooking for others. :) Really, if you are not feeling all that, buy a dang can of ortegas or canned poblanos if you can find them. the absence of stems and seeds may be your thing, i don’t know.
so now we get to the part i actually have pics for the rest of it.
stuffing your chiles. You can use shreds, i prefer spears.
Types of cheese: easiest: Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack. Ideal, a combination of Oaxaca, Cotija, and a jack cheese. Above I have a pepperjack and cotija cheese. the “stinky cheese” of mexican food, it’s definitely the cheese to top your beans and tostadas over any american shreds, but it does not melt easily, and the pungent taste/smell can be off-putting if overused. You should definitely start using it on your homemade mexi food. Oaxaca cheese is more the Mozarella of Mexico, and melts beautifully. most oaxaca cheese in grocery stores lacks the flavor, and might as well be mozarella- which you can also use.
Chiles will split when you roast and peel them. Fresh chiles will be hardier and withstand the roasting peeling process better. Being that February in Washington state is not chile season, I take what I can get. And after a few days in the fridge and peeling mine were pretty holie. This is ok, as I have learned with time. If you have avoided puncturing your chile, you rule! So in that case make a slit near the stem and slip the cheese inand place on a plate dusted with flour.
As you see, blow-outs are a regular occurence, even if you’ve made them a hundred times. little known fact: cheese fries and plugs itself, you will be ok. So roll the chiles in flour before you dip them in the egg mixture- this helps the egg stick. you need that.
The main difference has to do with the egg portion. I have tried everything. tempura is close, and like tempura, i start throwing anything i find in the fridge in the batter once i’m done, but for my basic relleno, it is a meringue-type batter:
start with separated eggs, about one egg:2 medium/large pasilla chiles
whip whites until they form peaks
add a small amount of flour to the yolks, for these 3 yolks i started with about a teaspoon and a half
mix the flour into the yolks with a fork. if your yolks turn into a paste, you used to much flour so crack another egg. once you have the flour mixed in you will FOLD the yolk mixture into your whites. do not stir. it does not have to be even. you want to keep the fluffiness of your batter.
ok it does not look beautiful or uniform. It will continue to mix as you run the chiles through it.
let’s talk about oil. i do not own a deep fryer, and egg tends to kill oil for future use. When my family makes tempura or egg rolls, we make enough for an army, so we do fill a wok and deep fry. these are pan fried in about a quarter inch to half inch of oil. I use a high smoke point oil. you can try olive or a nut oil, but i believe it will burn or over absorb.
test your oils heat with a dabble of egg mixture:
this was still a little to cool. Have a rack over a cookie sheet ready for draining. paper towels will make your stuff soggy!
you’re gonna get dirty. wear an apron. have papertowels. this egg mixture is like glue! extra hands are preferable.
the truth is, deeper oil is better for keeping shape. 9/10 times my rellenos are triangular. this is a thing with frying flautas, too. By the time i reheat them and put sauce on them, no one notices. it is important to roll them. have both a spatula and tongs on hand. the first turn, you will not want to disturb the egg on top. Add the chiles one at a time so you do not drop your oil temp (again unless truly deep frying). If you introduce raw egg onto the cooked side of one, just be sure to roll that through the hot oil before taking it out. If you’re eating immediately after keep your rack in the oven on about 200. If a few hours later, just heat them up on cookie sheet or rack on cookie sheet at a good ol 325-350 until the cheese melts.
I have had these served with a million styles. In a full on caldo, or with an enchilada sauce gravy with like bell peppers. another style is with a vinegar/mole or salsa mix. they are fine just as is. or in a chile relleno burrito. serve with rice and beans and some kind of salad- you just ate fried cheese! enjoy!
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