Destination
Antigua
The story
Pan con chile relleno is a whole meal in a bread roll: a chile poblano stuffed with picadillo (Guatemalan spiced beef mince with vegetables), coated in a light egg batter, deep-fried until golden, and slid inside a crusty French roll along with a slick of tomato-based recado sauce. Eaten with your hands, dripping into the wax paper it was handed to you in. A dish of Guatemalan Semana Santa (Holy Week), when the whole country cooks meat-heavy for the days before Easter, but sold year-round at bakeries and street stalls.
Method
Warm the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Sweat the onion 4 minutes. Add the garlic, carrot, potato and green beans. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until softened. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up, for 6 to 8 minutes until browned. Stir in the tomato, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook 5 more minutes until thick. Off the heat, stir in the coriander. Cool completely.
Char the poblanos directly over a gas flame (or under a hot grill) turning often, until the skin is blackened all over. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and let steam 10 minutes. Peel the blackened skin off with your fingers (rinse briefly if needed). Make a slit down one side of each chile and carefully remove the seeds and pith, keeping the chile whole.
Spoon the cooled picadillo generously into each chile through the slit. Don't overfill (or the chile will burst in the oil).
Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, paprika, cumin and salt to a smooth sauce. Warm the oil in a small pan, pour in the sauce and simmer 10 minutes until thick and glossy.
Whip the egg whites in a large bowl to stiff peaks. Whisk the yolks briefly with a pinch of salt in a small bowl, then fold gently into the whites so they stay airy.
Heat the frying oil in a wide heavy pan to 170°C (340°F). Dust each stuffed chile lightly in flour, then dip in the beaten egg to coat completely. Lower carefully into the hot oil and fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, spooning oil over the top, until the batter is deep golden and puffed.
Lift onto kitchen paper. Split each bread roll, warm briefly if needed. Spoon a generous ladle of recado on the bottom half of each roll. Place a battered chile relleno on top. Close the roll and press gently.
Serve immediately in wax paper if you're going for authenticity. Eat with both hands. Napkins are essential.
Tips
- Chile poblano is the correct chile. It's a large, mild, dark-green chile widely available at Latin grocers. Green bell peppers are a passable substitute but lack the poblano's slight smoky spice.
- Char and steam is the standard skin-removal technique. Blistering the skin over a flame and then steaming under cling film loosens it enough to peel off cleanly. Don't rinse aggressively; you'll wash away some of the smoky flavour.
- Whip the whites hard before folding. Stiff-peak egg whites are what give the batter its light, puffed finish. Under-whipped whites give you a heavy, wet coating.
- Cool the picadillo before stuffing. Warm filling weakens the chile's structure and makes it more likely to burst. Cold filling holds up during the fry.
- Fry hot enough to puff, not so hot to burn. 170°C is right. Spoon oil over the top of each chile as it fries so the batter puffs evenly.
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