No Valentine? No problem! Treat yourself with Single Serve Crispy Stuffed Poblano with Repurposed Leftover Rice, Cilantro Crema & Radish Fritters! This dish combines the concept of an Indian Bhuji (Pakora) and Mexican Chile Relleno and I couldn’t be happier with this combination of cultures! This dish is zero-waste (using leftover rice from a delivery order) and vegan – both of these elements are extremely important to me and I am striving to do even more zero-waste cooking!

I’ve mentioned this in a lot of blog posts, but I’ve traveled through Mexico fairly extensively and absolutely LOVE Mexican food. Regional Mexican dishes are so dynamic, vibrant, spicy, veggie friendly, and similar to Indian flavor profiles. So this dish is a true culmination of all of that, basically! I’ve eaten a ton of chili relleno – generally a cheese-stuffed fried poblano pepper served with beans and rice.

Andddd Valentine’s Day is this week (vomit). Honestly, Valentine’s Day is the dumbest of dumbest hallmark holidays there is – you should express your love to your loved ones regularly, not on one bogus holiday! Plus, why is there so much pressure on single people to find a valentine for this day?! I much rather treat myself to something delicious and guaranteed to satisfy 🤪. Which is exactly what I did with this recipe! So I hope you treat yourself and enjoy your weekend!

Crispy Stuffed Poblano Recipe:

Rice Stuffing:

• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 long red chili – sliced
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 stalk scallion – sliced, white part only
• 1 tbsp unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup thawed frozen vegetables – any mix
• 1 heaping tsp ground flaxseed
• 1 1/2 cups leftover basmati rice – at room temperature
• 1 tbsp water
• handful fresh cilantro – roughly chopped
• 1/2 fresh lime
• pinch of kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Batter for Frying:

• 1/2 cup chickpea (gram/besan) flour
• 3/4 cups water
• 1 tbsp Mexican seasoning – I used Frontier Co-op
• 4 red radishes – sliced into thin circles
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper 
• Neutral oil for deep frying

Cilantro Crema:

• 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese
• handful cilantro – including stems
• 1/4 heaping tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 wedge fresh lemon
• pinch of kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper 

Garnishes:

• 1 red radish – thinly sliced
• fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp unsalted sunflower seeds – lightly toasted
• 1 stalk scallion – green part sliced (from above rice stuffing part)

1. Make the rice: Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add in the oil and vegan butter. Once the butter is melted and bubbling, add in the red chili and garlic. Saute for one minute and then add in the white part of the scallions. Continue sauteing until fragrant and softer, about 2 minutes. Next add in the sunflower seeds and saute one minute. Then the thawed frozen vegetables, mix and add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Allow the veggies to cook for 2-3 minutes until the moisture releases and veggies soften. Then add in the ground flaxseed and half of the chopped cilantro. Incorporate into the mixture and cook for another 3 minutes. Now add the leftover rice and use your spoon to break up all of the granules of rice so there are no lumps. Add in the water, reduce heat to medium low and cook until all is mixed well together. Taste and adjust for salt if necessary. Lastly, squeeze in the fresh lime juice and remaining chopped cilantro, mix, remove from heat and set aside.

2. Make the batter: Add the chickpea flour into a medium mixing bowl. Use a whisk to whisk together the dry chickpea flour until smooth and no large lumps remain. Add in 1/4 cup of the water and whisk vigorously until smooth and no lumps appear – this takes about 2 minutes to do by hand. Then add in the Mexican seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper and whisk. Batter will be thick so add remaining 1/2 cup of water. Give it a quick taste and adjust for salt, set aside.

3. Make the crema: In a blender, add in the vegan cream cheese, cilantro, cumin seeds, red chili powder, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth, creamy and a mint green in color. Place into a squeezy bottle and set aside.

4. Stuff: Place the flattest side of the poblano on a cutting board. Using a paring knife, gently slit the middle within piercing to the other side. You want to just expose the cavity. Carefully remove all the seeds and some of white veins. Using a small spoon, place the rice into the poblano – getting as much in there as you can. There will be rice leftover, just set that side until ready to serve. Once the poblano is stuffed, using your fingers to press the seam together and place a toothpick into the poblano to secure close. Do it at the tip as well, so you should have two toothpicks in your poblano.

5. Fry: In a deep and large pan (or wok) pour a neutral oil 3/4 way up and place over high heat. While the oil is heating up, add the stuffed poblano into the batter and using tongs, coat thoroughly until all coated and all crevices are covered. Once the oil is rippling, test to see if it’s hot by dropping in a droplet of better. If it immediately floats to the top and bubbles, the oil is hot! Carefully add in the coated stuffed poblano to the oil. Fry on each side for about 3-4 minutes until medium brown in color. While that’s cooking up, add the radish slices to the batter and coat thoroughly. Once the poblano is medium brown and crisp on each side, carefully remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate to cool and drain the oil. Then add in the batter coated radish slices and fry for about 3-4 minutes until medium brown and crisp. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate to cool and drain.

6. Plate: Place the remaining rice on the bottom of a dish. Top with fried poblano, drizzle with cilantro crema and top with radish fritters, sliced fresh radish, sunflower seeds, scallions green parts, and cilantro leaves. Eat right away!!