From the beginning of July until the end of September, Mexico is the most awaited season of the year, the time of Chiles en Nogada. This traditional dish is one of the favorites to celebrate the cry of independence thanks to its delicious flavor and the history that resides in each of its ingredients, get to know it and prepare your chiles at home! 

You may be interested in: 5 things you should know about Tequila. 

History of Chile en Nogada. 

The chile en nogada is one of the most representative dishes of our culture and one of the favorites to celebrate the national holidays as they should be. Throughout history, there have been many versions of the origin of this mythical dish, but here we tell you the most accepted story.  

According to the story, the creation of chiles en nogada dates back to 1821, the same year in which Mexican Independence was consummated and given in honor of Emperor Agustin de Iturbide.  

It is said that in that same year the emperor planned to spend his saint’s day in Puebla City. Upon hearing the news, the St. Monica´s Convent nuns decided to take action and make a dish to honor the monarch.  

Taking as a reference the Flag of the Trigarante Army, the mothers got into the kitchen and took several ingredients that referenced its colors: the green of the roasted poblano peppers and parsley, the white in its delicious walnut sauce known as Nogada, and the intense red of the pomegranate. Thus was born the delicacy we know today as Chiles en Nogada and that every September we enjoy with such joy.  

Now that you know the origin of Chiles en Nogada, it’s time to get down to work!   

Chiles en Nogada recipe. 

Ingredients.  

Filling:  

• 3 tablespoons of canola oil.  
• 4 garlic cloves.  
• 250 g of ground beef, 90/10.  
• 250 g ground pork, 90/10.  
• Freshly cracked black pepper.  
• 1 onion.  
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves.  
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon.  
• 1 tablespoon natural vanilla extract.  
• 1 green apple, peeled and finely diced.  
• 1 pear, peeled and finely diced.  
• 1 male banana finely diced.  
• 2 peaches finely diced.  
• 50 g sliced almonds.  
• 50 g raisins.  
• 50 g olives.  
• 50 g walnuts, peeled and sliced.  
• ½ cup water.  
• 250 g of blended tomato.  

Nogada sauce:  

• ½ cup peeled almonds.  
• 2 cups of peeled walnuts.  
• 1 cup water. 
• 100 g of panela goat cheese.  
• 1 bunch of parsley.  
• 1 whole pomegranate (pomegranate kernels).

 You may be interested in: Prepare the most delicious marbled pancake. 

How to prepare. 

Preparation of the poblano peppers.  

1. In a comal or flat frying pan, roast your poblano peppers until the skin is golden brown. Turn them periodically, making sure that all sides of the chiles are well browned.  
2. Once your chiles are ready, remove them from the skillet and place them in a plastic bag for 10 minutes to sweat and make them easier to peel.  
3. After the 10 minutes, peel your poblano chiles with your fingers and make a small cut in the middle of the chile without splitting it. This way we can devein the chile.  
4. Let it rest on the side of your work table while we make the preparation.   
5. Preparation of the filling.  
6. In a frying pan, sauté your garlic cloves with a little oil for 3 minutes or until golden brown.  
7. In the same pan add your finely chopped onion and let it fry for a few more minutes.  
8. Add the ground beef to our pan and add a little salt. Cook the meat and gradually add the pork to our skillet.  
9. In another pan, sauté two cloves of garlic again and add our blended tomato. Let it cook until it gets more color (about 5 minutes).  
10. In our tomato sauce, add a few sprigs of parsley, the raisins and olives, a little salt, and cook over low heat for a few more minutes.  
11. In a third pan, add a little oil and let it heat for a few minutes.  
12. Carefully add our chopped apple, banana, pear and peaches. Stir a little, cover and let cook for a few minutes. Tip: the fruit should not fall apart, it should remain whole.  
13. Back to our meat, add the pine nuts and our natural vanilla.  
14. In the same pan, add our fruit mixture, stir, and carefully add our tomato sauce.  
15. Let it cook for a few minutes over low heat and that’s it, we have stuffing.  

Preparation of the Nogada.  

1. In a blender place all your ingredients for the nogada in the glass.  

1. Start blending everything until you get a consistent mixture. In this inter, you can go adding your tablespoon of natural vanilla extract to integrate well. 

Plate it:  

1. Carefully, take your poblano chile and place the filling inside the chile. Try to make sure our chiles are plump and plump, but not overflowing with meat.  
2. In a shallow dish place your stuffed chili in the center.  
3. Drizzle the chile with the nogada sauce. Be generous with the portion.  
4. Take your pomegranate seeds and decorate your chile en nogada. From the tip to the tail of the chile.  
5. Add some parsley leaves.  

Repeat this preparation on all your chiles, and voila, you’re ready to give a proper shout-out.  

Buy your natural vanilla at Los Cinco Soles. 

At Los Cinco Soles you can find the delicious flavor of our natural Mexican vanilla to enhance all your recipes. Give an extraordinary touch to your seasoning with our vanilla and celebrate the national holidays with Los Cinco Soles.