Chiff and Fipple Forums

I love chile rellenos, but can never get the texture of the chile right. I've tried poblanos, Anaheims, and probably a few other peppers.

The egg batters that I've used won't stick to unpeeled peppers, but the only couple of ways I know of to peel peppers, by blistering, leave a soggy pepper. When it's soggy, it's difficult to get the guts out and to get it to seal so that the cheese doesn't leak out, or the batter doesn't get into the inside of the pepper.

Question: do any of y'all know how to peel a chile pepper in a way that leaves the flesh firm, or a good relleno batter recipe that sticks to an unpeeled chile?

TIA as always

What if you rough up the outside a bit, the way you might a surface before painting?

OK, I don´t cook Chile Rellenos, so I had to ask Mamí. She says ya gotta use chile poblanas ´cuz thats traditional. . .the way they first made ´em in Puebla. Then, ya gotta fire roast ´em. . .char them over an open flame. They´re black but not cooked through. Let them cool, then you can gently scrub the skins off. Pat them dry, let them cool. Clean out the seeds and rinse. Stuff ´em, and pin them shut. Now coat them with flour. Let that rest while you beat your egg dip. Drag them through your batter and now it should stick. She makes it look easy.

Bob

Thanks for the responses. Katharine, I've tried roughing up the outsides, but possibly not enough. The skin is so waxy that whatever's left still doesn't allow the batter to stick.

An Seanduine, that's exactly what I do. Thing is, once the skin is all blistered, the rest of the pepper is soft. I've tried the grill, broiler, and open flame of a gas stove. I guess I just gotta use a hotter flame or get the pepper closer. Actually, my new (3 months old) grill gets SO MUCH HOTTER than my old one, I wonder if that'll do the trick.

Yes, poblanos are a must. I've tried Anaheims and New Mexico chiles, but there's just not much flesh on those. It's all about the balance among the cheese, pepper, and egg.

chas wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 4:14 pmI guess I just gotta use a hotter flame or get the pepper closer.

Haven't yet charred my own peppers, but FWIW, when I see it done on food shows the most common way is with the pepper laid directly on a gas range's burner grate with a full, high flame, and turning the pepper as needed with tongs. If you don't have a gas cooktop, the high spot in the broiler might do.

It's axiomatic that high heat (and close proximity to the source, of course) is what you want when you're after a surface reaction but with little, or at least lessened, effect on what's beneath. Seared rare steak is a good example of the principle. So by what you say, what I'm guessing is that you've been treating the peppers too gingerly, with the consequence that the lower heat, and the distance you hold the pepper from it, are allowing the peppers to cook more thoroughly. Instead, think blowtorch: You want to aggressively blast that thing before it knows what hit it. The poor, bewildered pepper will still soften, but probably not as much as you're experiencing. I once saw a show covering a Mexican market where peppers and onions were being charred directly on coals while the meat sizzled above on a grate. One assumes one keeps a tight eye on these things, lest one cooks what one is only aiming to char on the surface.

My 2¢ from the peanut gallery.

Yup. My buddy the French Chef does something like that with peppers. On his charcuterie plate the peppers can be black and blistered on the outside. You scrape off the char to suit your taste. Underneath isn´t all too cooked.

Bob

The last several times, I've done the peppers on the gas stove just as described. I must be moving them around too much or something, as they're definitely soft before they're blistered/charred. I looked for poblanos the other day but didn't find any. Maybe next weekend.

Sounds like the eternal quest for al dente

Bob

chas wrote: ↑Sun Sep 19, 2021 10:20 amI must be moving them around too much or something, as they're definitely soft before they're blistered/charred.

Could be. When I've seen it done, they don't turn the pepper until the surface directly exposed to the flame is well and truly blackened, and it doesn't take long. I was discussing this with a neighbor a couple of days ago, and as a chef and restaurateur (with a James Beard award, if it helps), he agreed with my assessments. He goes to Mexico all the time, so although he's French-trained (natch) he's closely familiar with a lot of Mexican foodways, and this is one of them.

As to them going soft, here's a pic of roasted and cleaned poblanos:



One supposes "cleaned" is in the eye of the beholder. But as a Mexican chef said, Mexican cuisine is all about the char factor.

These look soft, so maybe there's no getting around it. The recipe also says to put them in a closed container (a bag, say, as suggested in the pic, although a lidded pot would do the same job) for about 10 minutes right after roasting, so as to let them steam themselves and loosen the skin for easier removal.

Yep, that's pretty much what mine look like. I've had them in restaurants when it seems like they've still retained their shape, but maybe that's just the skill of the chef stuffing them