Chiles Rellenos

How to make it

1. Place the poblano chiles directly on a gas burner or under the oven broiler on the top rack and roast for 10 minutes. Turn them frequently with tongs until the skin is charred black and blistered all over — it's this charred crust that later lets the skin release from the flesh. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Let the skin blister to genuine black, not just brown — the flesh underneath steams and separates as the outer layer burns. Half-charred patches cling stubbornly and you'll tear the shell scraping them.
2. Place the roasted chiles in a bowl, cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel, and let them steam for 15 minutes, until the skin wrinkles and visibly loosens from the flesh. ⏱ 15 min · passive
   Chef's tip The trapped steam is what does the peeling work, so keep the towel damp and the bowl covered the whole time. If you uncover early and the chiles cool, the skin tightens back onto the flesh.
3. Scrape off the black skin with the back of a knife, then make a lengthwise slit in each chile. Scrape out the seeds and pale membranes with a teaspoon, but leave the stem attached — it holds the chile together during frying. The chile should end up as a clean, entirely green shell with no tears in the sides. ⏱ 15 min
   Chef's tip Keep the slit short — from the stem about two-thirds of the way down — and scrape the seeds out through the opening. A slit that runs all the way to the tip gapes open in the oil and the cheese runs out.
4. Shred queso Oaxaca into thick strips and pack them into each chile through the slit. Sprinkle only a light layer of salt inside the chile, since the cheese itself is quite salty. Close the slit with a couple of toothpicks so the chile closes snugly around the cheese without bulging. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Under-fill rather than over-fill: cheese expands and turns liquid in the oil, and a bulging chile splits at the seam mid-fry. You want the slit to meet without strain.
5. Blend the quartered tomatoes for the caldillo with the coarsely chopped onion and garlic for 5 minutes, until the purée is completely smooth and orange-red with no visible pieces of skin.
6. Heat the corn oil for the caldillo in a pot over medium-high heat and pour in the tomato purée through a sieve. Reduce it for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the color darkens to brick red and the aroma turns sweet rather than sour.
7. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf, oregano, and salt for the caldillo to the reduced purée. Let the caldillo simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until it's lightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon in a thin layer. ⏱ 15 min · passive
8. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water for 5 minutes, until the water runs clear, and let it drain thoroughly. Otherwise, the loose starch makes the grains sticky instead of separate.
9. Blend the tomatoes for the rice with the onion and garlic for 3 minutes to a smooth purée.
10. Heat the corn oil for the rice in another pot over medium heat and sauté the drained rice for 5 minutes, stirring, until the grains are chalky white and smell nutty.
11. Pour the tomato purée in with the rice and cook it down for 3 minutes, stirring, until it clings to the grains and the bottom of the pot is briefly visible when you draw the spoon through.
12. Add the chicken stock and salt, bring to a boil, and reduce to low heat. Cover and let the rice cook for 18 minutes without lifting the lid, until the liquid is absorbed and small steam holes appear on the surface. ⏱ 20 min · passive
13. Take the pot off the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 5 minutes, so the last of the steam distributes and the bottom doesn't stick. ⏱ 5 min · passive
14. Fluff the rice with a fork until the grains separate and are evenly colored red-orange.
15. Pour the corn oil for frying into a deep, wide pan so the bottom is covered with a good finger's depth, and heat it for 8 minutes to 180°C. The oil is ready when a sprinkle of flour fizzes up and turns golden immediately.
    Chef's tip Hold the oil around 180°C. Cooler and the batter drinks oil before it sets, leaving a greasy jacket; much hotter and it colors dark while the cheese inside is still cold.
16. Separate the eggs, and whisk the whites with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, until they form glossy, stiff peaks that hold when the whisk is lifted.
    Chef's tip The bowl and whisk must be completely free of grease, and not a drop of yolk can slip in. Even a little fat keeps the whites from stiffening, and they just sit there as a loose, wet foam.
17. Whisk the egg yolks lightly and fold them into the whites with a spatula for 2 minutes, until the batter is evenly pale yellow and still airy. Don't mix longer than necessary — a deflated batter gives a flat, soggy coating.
18. Pat the stuffed chiles dry and dredge them in the flour a batch at a time, only as many as go into the pan at once, until the entire surface is matte and dusty. Flour the next batch while the previous one fries — the egg batter slides off a chile that has stood and gone damp in the flour.
19. Dip a floured chile into the egg batter so it's coated all the way around, and gently lower it into the hot oil. Fry 3 chiles at a time for 4 minutes, turning once partway through. Spoon oil over the ends until the coating is golden, puffed, and firm to the touch. Lift them onto a rack and fry the rest the same way.
    Chef's tip Lower the chile in slit-side down first, so the coating sets and seals the opening. Three at a time keeps the oil hot; add more and the temperature drops, and the coating soaks up fat instead of puffing up.
20. Warm the corn tortillas in a dry pan over high heat for 5 minutes total, flipping them a couple of times, until they're soft and pliable and smell of toasted corn. Wrap them in a folded kitchen towel to keep warm.
21. Remove the toothpicks from the chiles. Ladle hot caldillo into the bottom of four deep plates, and set two chiles in each. Spoon a couple more spoonfuls of caldillo over the center, so the coating still stays crisp on top. Add a mound of arroz rojo alongside on the plate, and set the warm corn tortillas on the table in their towel. Each diner tears off pieces of the chile with a fork, sets them in a tortilla with a little rice, and rolls it up at the table.