Step by step

Method

14 steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 400℉.

2. 2

   Dice onion and sauté on medium heat with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin until softened, about 4 minutes.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, on a lined baking sheet, place 4 poblano peppers. You want them to bake as-is (no oil or seasoning) for 10 minutes. Then, flip and bake for another 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Once finished in the oven, transfer peppers to a heat-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap so they will steam, loosening up the skin even further. You will peel them later once they have cooled.

5. 5

   To the sautéed onions, add canned crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and minced garlic. Stir and turn the heat down to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

6. 6

   Optional step: Once the sauce has simmered for 15-20 minutes, purée it until smooth in a blender. Then, pour the sauce back into your original sauté pan and simmer on low.**

7. 7

   After the peppers have steamed for 10 minutes or so, gently peel them and cut a slit down the middle of each with a knife. They will be very tender, so be careful to not cut through to the other side. You want the pepper to function as a vessel for the cheese in the next step!

8. 8

   Carefully seed each pepper. This step is a bit tricky, so be careful! It’s easy to do with a little patience and a spoon.

9. 9

   Carefully tuck ¼ cup of shredded queso cheese inside each pepper, being careful to not tear them.*** Set the stuffed peppers aside.

10. 10

    Separate the egg yolks into a small bowl and the egg whites into a medium mixing bowl.

11. 11

    Whip egg whites until they form stiff peaks using a hand mixer. Then, add one yolk at a time until well combined and fluffy.

12. 12

    Dip the stuffed peppers in flour and then in the egg mixture. Do this to all of them while ½ cup vegetable oil heats in a second pan. They will be kind of foamy-looking and very messy, but it makes the fry batter nice and light!

13. 13

    Fry each poblano pepper for about 2-3 minutes per side or until it’s gold and crispy. Do this in batches as they are fragile.

14. 14

    Serve immediately on top of the warm salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro and additional cheese if you have more on hand. Enjoy!