Want to make chiles rellenos? You're certainly not going to use a green bell pepper, so you need to learn how to roast poblano peppers. In this guide you'll learn 5 different ways to roast poblano peppers and how to use them in different Mexican foods.
plastic wrap or a container with a lid or a plastic sandwich bag
knife
latex gloveshighly recommended for preventing chile burns
Instructions
Throughly rinse each pepper to make sure to remove any dirt, use a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to pat dry each pepper.
Turn your stove on to a medium-high flame, carefully place two or three peppers directly on the burner and over the flame. You’ll want to use the tongs to help arrange the peppers so that they don’t fall off and to help ensure even heat/flame on each one. Slowly the Poblanos will get little blisters that will darken and make a little popping sound. You’ll have to use the tongs to keep turning them so that the entire pepper is evenly charred on all sides. Do not leave them unattended because you want the other skin just to darken like in the pictures and not burn entirely and turn to ash.
Once blackened on all sides, remove from the flame and continue the same step until each pepper has been roasted on the flame. You’ll also notice that the chile’s flesh will feel soft, you want to make sure that it feels this way throughout.
After you have roasted all of the peppers, place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap or put them in a container with a lid, or put them inside of a plastic sandwich bag and seal. Now leave the chiles aside for about 10 minutes. Whilst they are inside any of these sealed containers they begin to release their heat as well as some natural liquid, this is what we call “sweating the chiles”. The purpose of this step is so that all of those little bits of charred skin will easily peel away from the pepper.
Next you can place a “sweated” chile on a cutting board or plate and use a knife to gently scrape away the charred skin. Alternatively, you can use your hands to hold the pepper and with your other hand use your fingers to carefully pull away the charred skin. Either way works great, pick which ever is easiest for you.
Use a paper towel or a little water to remove any of the excess charred bits from the peppers.
How To Devein And Prep Roasted Poblano Peppers
Rellenos or Stuffed: If you are going to be stuffing the peppers simply use a knife to make an incision going lengthwise. Very carefully (you may want to use those latex gloves again) use a small knife to cut away the seeds from inside the chile. Ready for stuffing!
Fajitas or Rajas: Grab one charred pepper cut it lengthwise and in half, use the knife to cut away the seeds, stems and any attached membranes. Then slice the halves into long strips cutting either along the width or length of each half.
Salsas, Sauces, Burgers and Meatballs: Remove the stems and seeds as previously indicated. The chop into desired sizes.
Now Your Roasted Poblano Peppers Are Ready To Cook As Desired!
Video
Notes
Tips:Poblanos that are nearly flat are much easier and quicker to roast over an open flame. So when you are selecting the peppers at the store try to get those.When Poblanos are curvier you may have to hold them directly over the flame with your tongs in order to get into all of the little nooks and crannies.Something else you may notice are little bits of the charred skin floating around the burner as you cook, don’t worry this “mess” quickly wipes off once the burner has cooled down.For more tips make sure to read the full article and watch the video.