OKay, I’ve been working on it, and I seem to have it pretty close.
Except that it doesn’t seem to matter how hot I make the oil, the egg coating just absorbs an insane amount of grease. I know that it is in the nature of rellenos to have a somewhat greasy coating, but really… my rellenos slurp up every possible drop.
My batter is pure egg, nothing else, is that my problem? Do I need to whip the whites to be stiffer? (I whip to soft peaks…which is another problem: the yolk and whites separate very quickly and then break down, so by the 3rd chile, it just doesn’t have the fluff it should.)
Second: what is the recipe for the classic sauce? It seems to be nothing more than tomato and onion, but I havent’ been able to re-create the flavor I find in restaurant relleno sauce.
Huh. I always mix a bit of flour into the beaten yolks, then fold the yolk mixture and whites together. That way it’s a true batter, rather than just pure egg. It holds up very well and the fluffy coating on the rellenos is more substantial post-frying. Yes, it absorbs fat, but that’s part of what a chile relleno is - a greasy, delicious cheesey dish. That’s why I don’t eat them very often.
Chile rellenos is my favorite! Tes, they are very hard to do at home. You need very hot oil, and you need to avoid burning the egg wash. For that reason, I get mine at the restauarnt.
And the chains don’t do CR well either.
Whisk egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks, beer, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt together. Gradually add flour, beating constantly, and whisk until smooth. Add half the egg whites, and mix well to incorporate. Gently fold in the remaining whites to form a light batter.
He also recommends an oil temp of 375, with a frying time of about 8 minutes.
Are you using poblano peppers? Their thick walls make them particularly well-suited for rellenos.
I wish there was a suitable pepper that had more heat than a poblano. I looked into it, as it is my favorite mexican dish, but it looks very difficult to do at home. I don’t have a fryer and I’m not going to get one. It’s not something I would do more than once a year.
I separate 3 eggs. Beat whites with 1 tsp. baking powder, beat yolks with 1 Tbsp. flour. Then fold the whites into the yolks. Then coat the stuffed chiles by dipping them into the mixture.
I usually coat the chiles just before plopping them into the hot oil–and I put them in, then wash over the tops with the hot oil, to set it.
It’s very important to absolutely keep even a drop of grease away from the egg mixture, so this involves using one implement to pull the chile out of the egg mixture and another to set it into the oil.
I don’t really time it, but I think mine cook in about 4 minutes. Longer, and the cheese will get too runny.
named Rick Bayliss gives these tips–