Chile Relleno with Homemade Tomato Sauce
This chile pepper is often mislabeled ‘Pasilla’, which is a different pepper entirely.It is one of the most popular chiles in Mexico and has won the appreciation of many a chef worldwide because of the superior flavor it has over regular bell peppers.
They have a tough outer skin that usually requires roasting and peeling before use. These very large chile peppers are most popular in chiles rellenos recipes, but cooking with these as a substitute for bell peppers in any recipe will enhance the flavor.
Ingredients:
For Chile Relleno:
3 long Peppers (preferred: Poblano Peppers, I used Anaheim variety)
1/2 cup Maida/All purpose flour
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated or sliced
1/4 cup Milk
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
Salt and Red pepper flakes – to taste
1 tsp Oil
Oil – for shallow frying
For Tomato Sauce:
3 tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
3-4 Garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tomatoes
1/4 cup Tomato puree
Salt and Black pepper – to taste
Instructions:
Chile Relleno:
Make a vertical slit to the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Note: for a smoky flavor, slightly char them a little and cool. You could also just use as-is.
In a small bowl, combine maida, milk, egg, baking powder, baking soda, salt and a tsp of oil. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes over the batter and whisk well.
Stuff each of the peppers with the cheese.
Heat enough oil in a wide pan. Roll each pepper into the batter, carefully dip and fry in oil until light golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove them onto paper towels to drain excess oil.
Tomato Sauce:
Blanch tomatoes for few minutes in hot water.
Heat olive oil in a pan and saute onions & garlic until translucent. Mix in sliced, blanched tomatoes and cook until mushy. Add tomato puree with salt & pepper. Add about 1 cup of water to bring it to a thick saucy consistency. Cover and cook for few minutes.
Assembling:
Spoon some tomato sauce on a plate and place chile rellenos on top. Serve with cilantro-lime rice, beans and guacamole on the side to make it a complete Mexican platter.
From cookingwithsiri.com