Mexican · Puebla · main

Chiles en Nogada Poblanos

Chiles en Nogada Poblanos reads sweetness 5.9, umami 5.7 and fruity 5.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican · Puebla main, about 13 hr 24 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 6.0 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 7.5 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.1 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.9 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.6 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 5.9 · Umami 5.7 · Fruity 5.4 · Richness 5.3 · Nutty 4.4 · Sourness 2.8 · Floral 2.8 · Allium 2.7 · Earthy 2.6 · Warm Spice 2.5 · Funk & Ferment 1.7 · Bitterness 1.6 · Heat 1.5 · Salinity 1.5 · Herbaceous 1.4 · Citrus 0.9

What's in it (26)

• poblano chiles — 1200 g
• pork — 400 g
• beef — 200 g
• white onion — 200 g
• garlic — 12 g
• tomatoes — 300 g
• apple — 180 g
• pear — 180 g
• peaches — 200 g
• plantain — 180 g
• raisins — 60 g
• blanched almonds — 50 g
• pine nuts — 40 g
• candied biznaga — 80 g
• canela — 2 g
• cloves — 12 g
• black pepper — 3 g
• pork lard — 27 g
• walnut — 250 g
• regular milk — 250 g
• sour cream — 120 g
• queso fresco — 120 g
• dry sherry — 30 g
• sugar — 13 g
• pomegranate — 300 g
• flat-leaf parsley — 20 g

Time & effort: about 13 hr 24 min (1 hr 24 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 152.8 kcal, 7.2 g protein, 8.7 g fat, 12.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. This dish has a season and it is short. The fresh nuez de Castilla, milky and easy to skin, arrives in Puebla in late August, and the pomegranates come with it; by the end of September both are gone. Made with old dry walnuts the nogada turns grey and tannic, and there is no way to fix that.
2. Soak the walnuts in milk overnight, then rub the papery brown skins off with your fingers. Every scrap of skin you leave behind is a point of bitterness and a grey streak in a sauce that is supposed to be white.
3. Char the poblanos directly over a flame until the skins are blistered and black all over, about 8 minutes, turning them with tongs. Sweat them in a covered bowl 15 minutes, then peel, cut a slit down one side, and take out the seeds and veins, leaving the stem on.
4. Fry the pork and beef in the lard over medium-high heat 12 minutes until the water has gone and the meat begins to brown, then add the onion and garlic for 6 minutes and the tomato for 10.
5. Fold in the apple, pear, peach and plantain and cook 12 minutes until the fruit is tender but still in pieces, then the raisins, almonds, pine nuts, acitrón and the ground spices for 6 minutes more. Season well; the picadillo should taste sweet, savoury and faintly of cinnamon all at once.
6. Blend the peeled walnuts with the crema, cheese, sherry and sugar into a thick, barely sweet sauce. Do not over-blend or it turns oily; it should be the consistency of loose cream.
7. Fill the chiles generously, arrange them seam down, blanket them with the cold nogada, and scatter the pomegranate seeds and parsley over. Serve at room temperature — this is not a hot dish.
8. Substitutions: citron can stand in for the candied biznaga; fresh goat cheese can stand in for the queso fresco.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Kebab Karaz (Lamb Meatballs in Sour Cherry Sauce) — Syrian
• Chiles en Nogada — Mexican
• Mole Negro Oaxaqueño con Guajolote — Mexican · Oaxaca
• Curried Rice Pilaf — Indian
• Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds (Mrouzia) — Moroccan

Keep reading: what sweetness, umami, fruity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.