I love chile rellenos, who doesn’t?

Sometimes, however, it can be hard to find a truly good one. Sometimes they are too hard, or too spicy or too bland, but when they are good, they are yummy.

One day in Mexico, worker and friend Roberto invited me to his house where his wife Onelia had made some chile rellenos. Oh my, I am spoiled forever, they are the tastiest, melt-in-your- mouth, perfectly spiced chile rellenos I have ever eaten.

I asked if I could pass on Onelia’s recipe and here it is:

Onelia’s Melt In Your Mouth Chile Rellenos Recipe

Ingredients

1. 10 large chile poblanos
2. 1 kilo (2 1/4 pounds) of cheese (double cream, manchego or “fresco”) as you wish
3. 10 eggs
4. 3 tablespoons of plain flour
5. 10 ripe tomatoes
6. 4 bulbs of garlic
7. 1/4 onion
8. A pinch of salt
9. One teaspoon each of Knorr chicken bouillon and tomato bouillon
10. One liter of cooking oil

Cooking Instructions

Braise the 10 chiles on the stove, over a flame or under a broiler and then place them in a plastic bag for about 15 minutes while still hot. This will allow the chiles to sweat and make the removal of the skins easier.

Take the chiles out of the bag, carefully peel off the skins, cut down one side and scrape out the seeds. They will be hot so watch those fingers!

Fill them with the cheese of your choice (you can also use meat or tuna – but I am a cheese person).

Separate the white and yolks of eggs. Beat the whites until stiff, fold in the yolks. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to make a batter.

Dip the chiles one by one into the mixture until they are all covered and fry them in a hot pan of previously heated oil until golden brown

Salsa

Roast the tomatoes on a griddle together with the garlic bulbs and onion. In a pan, add the roasted tomatores, one liter of water, and the Knorr chicken and tomato bouillon. Pour the salza in a covered pan and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes.

Combine the chile rellenos and salsa.

Serve and enjoy!

I had never realized the amount of work put into my favorite dish, I will eat them more slowly and savor them even more the next time I am fortunate enough to visit my friends in Mexico.

Onelia Anay Santiago Ramirez was born in Guatemala but raised in Chiapas.

She has been in Tijuana since 2007 and is married to Project Mercy Baja fellow worker and dear friend Roberto.

They have two beautiful daughters, Eleanor (11) and Estephany (8).

We are thinking of you.