Rajas con crema are flame-roasted poblano chiles cut into strips and cooked with onions, Mexican cream and Monterey Jack cheese. Precious!
The first time I roasted poblanos in cream sauce (rajas de poblano con crema) was at the breakfast buffet at a resort in Ixtapa, Mexico. If you like poblano chiles, cooking them in a creamy sauce is a fabulous way to serve them.
Why serve cream with chillies?
There’s a reason why spicy Mexican food is often served with dairy products.
Milk proteins neutralize the hot capsaicin molecules in hot chilies. So you get less of the bite of the chilli and more of the actual taste. That means you can taste those wonderful roasted poblano chiles better when they’re bathed in a creamy sauce.
How to make rajas con crema
In this case, the rajas sauce is made with Mexican “crema,” a type of sour cream very similar to crème fraîche, along with milk and Monterey Jack cheese. First, toast the poblanos directly over the flame for charring, for flavor, and to make peeling easier.
Then you cut them into strips and cook them with chopped onions in the cream sauce. Serve them as an accompaniment to Mexican dishes or rolled up in warm tortillas. So good!
Most of the recipes I’ve found online for this dish have the strips cut fairly thin, about 1/2 inch thick or so. But in Ixtapa, where I first became acquainted with rajas, poblanos roasted in crema, the peppers were cut into thick strips an inch or two wide. So I’ve reproduced them here.
Roasted Poblanos in Cream Sauce (Rajas con Crema)
ingredients
-
6 fresh poblano chili peppers
-
1 tablespoon butter
-
1/2 White Onioncut lengthwise (root to tip), 1/4-inch slices
-
1/2 teaspoon Salt
-
1/2 Cup Mexican cream (Mexican sour cream) or crème fraîche
-
1/2 Cup milk
-
1/2 Cup grated Monterey Jack Cheese
method
-
Char the whole poblano chillies:
Fry the whole poblano chili peppers on all sides. This is best done over an open flame on a gas stove. Simply place the raw whole chillies directly on the grate covering the flame and allow the flame to blacken the peppers’ outer skin. When one side has turned black, use tongs to turn the chili slightly to allow the flame to blacken the other side.
You can also use a grill to blacken the chilies, but direct flame is the best way. Sometimes using a grill will overcook the chiles before they turn black. They should still be a bit tight. This is easier to control if you cook them directly over the flame.
-
Put the chilies in a bowl, cover:
Once the peppers are all black (you may still have a few green spots), place them in a glass bowl and cover with a plate. Allow the chiles to steam in their own heat for a few minutes.
-
Wipe the charred parts:
When the chilies are cool to the touch, remove them from the bowl. Working over a sink (this part is messy), use your fingers or a damp towel to brush away the blackened parts. Try to avoid submerging the chiles themselves as this can wash away the good flavor. But you may find it easier to rinse your hands with water while peeling off the blackened parts.
-
Open the chilies, remove the stems, seeds and inner veins and cut the chilies into strips:
Once the blackened outer skin is removed, open the chilies and cut out the stems, seeds and inner veins and discard them. Cut the chilies into long strips, about an inch wide. Many recipes call for thin strips, about half an inch wide, which you can do if you like. I just like them with thicker stripes. Put aside.
-
Cooking onions in butter:
Heat the butter (can use vegetable oil instead if you like) in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.
-
Add the chilies, crema, milk:
Add the poblano chiles to the onions. Sprinkle chillies with salt. Add the Mexican crema and milk. Stir gently to coat the chilies. Cook for a few minutes until the chilies are fully cooked through and the sauce is bubbly and slightly reduced.
-
Stir in the grated cheese:
Sprinkle in the shredded jack cheese. Stir in the hot crema sauce until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the crema sauce.
Serve with warmed corn or flour tortillas.
Links:
How to roast chili peppers over a gas flame
Roasted Chili Poblano with Crema Soup – by Serious Eats
Rajas con crema – from the other side of the tortilla
Rajas con crema in the LA Times
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 95 | calories |
| 8g | Fat |
| 3g | carbohydrates |
| 3g | protein |
