← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 6 large poblano chillies
• 300 g Oaxaca cheese, Monterey Jack or low-moisture mozzarella, cut into thick sticks or grated
• 4 eggs, separated
• 60 g plain flour, for dusting
• 500 ml vegetable oil, for shallow frying
• ¼ tsp pinch of salt, for the batter
• 600 g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• ¼ white onion
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 250 ml vegetable stock or water
• Salt

Method

1. Char the poblanos directly over a gas flame or under a very hot grill, turning with tongs, for 8–10 min, until blackened and blistered all over. Put them in a bowl, cover tightly and leave to sweat for 10 min.
2. For the salsa, blend the tomatoes, onion and garlic until smooth. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, pour in the purée and simmer for 10–12 min, until slightly thickened. Stir in the stock, season with salt and keep warm over low heat.
3. Rub the charred skin off the chillies with your fingers (don’t rinse them, or you lose flavour). Make a slit down one side of each, keeping the stem on, and carefully pull out the seeds.
4. Stuff each chilli with cheese and close it, overlapping the edges; secure with a cocktail stick if it gapes.
5. Whisk the egg whites with the salt to stiff peaks. Whisk in the yolks one at a time, just until the batter is evenly yellow and still fluffy.
6. Heat about 2 cm of oil in a large frying pan to 180°C (350°F). Roll each chilli in flour, tap off the excess, then dip it in the batter to coat. Fry two or three at a time for 2–3 min per side, until puffed and golden, and drain on kitchen paper.
7. Pour a pool of salsa onto each plate, sit the chillies on top and serve right away with rice and warm tortillas.

Tips

• If poblanos are hard to find, Anaheim chillies work well and are milder.
• The batter deflates quickly, so whisk it only when your oil is hot and the chillies are stuffed.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Pati Jinich Rick Bayless