The two dishes widely considered to be the national dishes of Mexico are mole poblano and chiles en nogada. Both are from Puebla. The fact that they originated from this state emphasizes the importance of Poblano cuisine to Mexican gastronomy and culture.
When it comes to iconic Mexican food, mole poblano is without peer but personally, my favorite is chile en nogada. These stuffed poblano peppers covered in creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds aren’t just delicious, but they’re beautiful to look at as well. To me, it’s the single most eye-catching dish in Mexican cuisine.
The fact that chiles en nogada are typically available only around August and September each year makes them even more special. But the good news is, you don’t have to wait until then to enjoy them.
Thanks to this authentic recipe developed by Poblano chef Alonso Hernandez – who runs a popular cooking class in Puebla – you can enjoy chiles en nogada any time of the year from the comfort of your kitchen.
VISIT PUEBLA QUICK LINKS
TOURS
To help maximize your time in Puebla City, we’ve put together links to recommended tours and activities here.
HOTELS
Top-rated hotels in Puebla
- Luxury: Casona de los Sapos Hotel Boutique
- Midrange: Hotel Casa Monarca
- Budget: Hostal Casa de Arcos
OTHER SERVICES
Save This on Pinterest!
No time to read this chiles en nogada recipe? Click on the save button and pin it for later!
WHAT IS CHILE EN NOGADA?
Chile en nogada refers to a traditional Mexican dish of poblano peppers stuffed with a picadillo mixture made with sliced fruit (apples, pears, peaches), chopped meat (usually beef and pork), aromatics, and spices.
In traditional recipes (like this one), the stuffed poblano chiles are coated in a beaten egg mixture before being shallow-fried. A thick walnut cream sauce (nogada) is then generously poured over the stuffed peppers before drizzling them with ripe pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley for garnish.
As described, chiles en nogada are typically available only around August and September when pomegranates are in season.
WHAT IS THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CHILES EN NOGADA?
Aside from being a national dish, chiles en nogada are especially important to Mexican culture. It’s a celebratory dish that’s prepared to commemorate Mexican Independence Day on September 16.
The dish is beautiful to look at but did you notice anything noteworthy about its colors? Its three main components – poblano chiles, nogada sauce, and pomegranate seeds – represent the colors of the Mexican flag. Poblano peppers for green, walnut cream sauce for white, and pomegranate seeds for red. It’s a patriotic dish that serves as a symbol of Mexican independence.
Like mole poblano, chiles en nogada are a source of pride for all Poblanos. It’s said to have been invented by convent nuns in honor of Mexican general Agustín de Iturbide, when he visited Puebla after signing the Treaty of Córdoba.
RELATED ARTICLE: Discover 5 Restaurants With the Best Chiles en Nogada in Puebla, Mexico
Authentic Chiles en Nogada Recipe
A traditional recipe for chiles en nogada developed by Elisa Ramirez and Chef Alonso Hernandez of Casa Mexicana in Puebla, Mexico
Ingredients
For the Stuffed Peppers
- 3 poblano chili peppers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 kg tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 apples
- 2 peaches
- 2 pears
- 50 g raisins
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 100 g almonds (sliced)
- 150 g pork chunks (or ground pork)
- 150 g beef brisket chunks (or ground beef)
- 250 g flour
- 6 eggs
- 100 ml vegetable or canola oil
For the Nogada Sauce (Walnut Cream Sauce)
- 350 g walnuts
- 1/2 cup regular milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1 tsp sherry, brandy, or rum
- 250 g goat cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
For Serving
- 1 pomegranate
- Parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
- Mince garlic and then set aside.
- Chop onion, tomatoes, apples, peaches, and pears into small cubes. Set aside.
- Preheat a little bit of oil in a pot. Add garlic and fry lightly. Add onions and fry until transparent. Add tomatoes and then the chopped fruits one at a time. Cook everything on a low flame for about 15 minutes, or until you obtain an even integration in the mixture. Stir constantly.
- When the mixture has cooked and softened, add a half cup of sugar, cinnamon (broken into small pieces), raisins, and the previously roasted sliced almonds. Continue cooking on a low flame for another 10 minutes. Stir constantly.
- Chop pork and beef into small cubes. Fry each separately until they soften, and then add both to the fruit and vegetable mix. Add salt and stir occasionally, allowing it to cook until the liquid reduces completely. Set aside.
- Roast the poblano chili peppers over a flame until the skin gets completely dark, and then place them inside a plastic bag to allow them to steam for about 10 minutes. Remove as much loose skin as you can. Make a single cut down each pepper and remove the seeds. Dry the peppers inside and out with a paper towel and then set aside.
- Stuff the chili peppers with the fruit and vegetable mixture. Coat the stuffed peppers in flour and then set aside.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff and then add the yolks with a pinch of salt and flour.
- Preheat a pot with one cup of oil. Keep a big spoon and a slotted spatula handy. You'll need them to flip the stuffed chili peppers.
- Dip each stuffed pepper into the beaten egg mixture until they're completely coated. Using the big spoon, bring the coated peppers into the hot oil to gently fry until you obtain an even golden color. When done, strain the peppers using the slotted spoon and then place them on paper towels to remove the excess oil. Set Aside.
- Blend the walnuts, milk, vanilla, sherry, goat cheese, and a half cup of sugar until you obtain a smooth consistency.
- Serve your chili peppers on deep plates and then pour a generous amount of nogada sauce (walnut sauce) on them. Sprinkle them with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley before serving.
Notes
This traditional recipe for chiles en nogada was developed by Elisa Ramirez and Chef Alonso Hernandez of Casa Mexicana in Puebla, Mexico.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We haven’t had the pleasure of taking Chef Alonso’s cooking class in Puebla but it’s on our to-do list. Until then, here are a few pictures from a different cooking class we took a few years ago, also in the city of Puebla.
Poblano chiles, the heart and soul of every chile en nogada.
Three types of fruit are typically used in the poblano chile stuffing – panochera apples (la manzana panochera), sweet milk pears, and criollo peaches.
Like mole poblano, chiles en nogada are laborious and time-consuming to make but it’s extremely rewarding to see such a beautiful dish come together. And by your own hands!
Peeling the fruit…
…chopping up the fruit…
…and getting it ready to cook. It felt like we needed a small village to prepare our chiles en nogada!
Blistering the skin of the poblano chiles before peeling them off
Cooking the meat and softening the fruits
When the mixture is cooked and ready, you take each poblano chile and stuff them with the picadillo filling.
After stuffing the poblano peppers, traditional chiles en nogada recipes (like this one) will have you coat the chiles with flour and then dip them into a beaten egg mixture for shallow frying. Many recipes today skip this step. Personally, I like it because it adds another layer of flavor and texture to the dish.
How beautiful do these stuffed chiles look?
After frying, just pour the walnut sauce over the poblano peppers and then sprinkle pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley and you’re done!
¡Buen provecho!
Disclosure
Some of the links in this chiles en nogada recipe are affiliate links, meaning we’ll make a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. As always, we only recommend products and services that we use ourselves. We really appreciate your support as it helps us keep this free Puebla travel website going. ¡Muchisimas gracias!