Saturday, April 11, 2009

Stuffed Cactus In Batter - Nopales Rellenos y Rebozados

Well it’s not every weekend I get out for culinary excursions in Baja, so this week I decided to cover what goes on in my Kitchen. I was craving some Nopales and my wife decided to make some incredible Stuffed Nopales in Batter.

Ingredients:


6 prickly pear cactus paddles, cleaned
Oaxacan string cheese (quesillo)
4 eggs (separated)
Vegetable Oil
Salt to taste
Salsa
Crema

Preparation:

Clean and select Nopales, try to pair similar sizes preferably small.

Nopales Rellenos - Stuffed Nopales in Batter

Place thin slices of cheese on one nopal and cover with a second one, basically making a sandwich.

Nopales Rellenos - Stuffed Nopales in Batter

Secure the nopal and cheese with toothpicks

Nopales Rellenos - Stuffed Nopales in Batter

Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks; gradually beat in salt and yolks.

Nopales Rellenos - Stuffed Nopales in Batter

Heat the oil in a large skillet until a few drops of water sprinkled into it bounce around. Dip the stuffed nopales in the egg batter to coat.

Nopales Rellenos - Stuffed Nopales in Batter

Fry in the hot oil until golden brown on each side.

Nopales Rellenos - Stuffed Nopales in Batter

Drain on paper towels.

Nopales Rellenos - Stuffed Nopales in Batter

Top with Salsa of choice, optional Crema and serve. The salsa we use is green tomato and chile de arbol based.

Nopales Rellenos - Stuffed Nopales in Batter

Some people add flour to the nopal but we feel with the texture of the nopal it is not required, the batter sticks to the nopal just fine. We also prefer the nopal to be dipped in the batter raw; some may want to boil the nopal. The type of cheese you use can vary.

Sometimes you don’t have to go far for a great meal, I just feel lucky to have such a great cook in the kitchen. This post is also a tribute to my chowhound buddy EatNopales who eats nopales without removing the thorns!

17 comments:

KirkK said...

Hey MA - Nice job with the step by step instructions.

Andrea said...

What a fascinating recipe. I live in East Harlem in NYC and I can easily get cactus here, but have never really tried preparing it. I've seen and eaten it in salads, but this is a fabulous use!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the great pics!

Masa Assassin said...

Thanks Kirk I tried to make it as user friendly as I could.

Thanks Andrea you have a fantastic blog. We usually prepare cactus in salad, or grilled on the bbq for healthier options. This dish was worth the extra calories.

An Glad you like the pics.

Colleen D said...

OH myyy GAWD I LOVE your blog Mikey!! What great narratives and pictures!!
Love,
Colleen

Dennis K. said...

Hi MA, great work! I agree with Kirk and I always thought it's more work than people give credit for.. :) Anyhow I never knew cactus can look so goood!

Masa Assassin said...

Thanks so much Colleen don't be a stranger around here :)More cooking stuff to come

Thanks Dennis I appreciate it

Paula Pereira said...

Could you tell us more about how you prepare that salsa, it looks divine!

Masa Assassin said...

Hi Paula - Check back soon I will post a few salsa preperations. They are fairly simple.

CJ said...

Hi, I just found your blog...excellent recipes. One quick question, how do you stop the slimyness...especially with this recipe of using the nopales raw. Thanks much and I look forward to following you. Cj

Masa Assassin said...

Hi CJ Actually they were not slimy at all raw. I only experiance that when they are steamed. Thanks for your comments.

Beatriz said...

I just found your blog when I did a search for tripas de res. Anyway, I'm enjoying all the recipe posts, photos, great info. Had to comment on this recipe. Never had nopales this way. Must try it. It sounds incredibly delicious. Thanks for sharing and keep posting!

Masa Assassin said...

Thanks Beatriz.... Yes you must try them, I guess anything battered is delicious.

Anna (Morsels and Musings) said...

looks amazing

Anonymous said...

Love this idea! Another great dish for lent.

Unknown said...

Do you have to semi cook the nopales first

Erica said...

A friend gave me her CSA share this week, containing nopales. I wanted to make something different so I went on Tastespotting and found this recipe. I made it and it was excellent! I love chiles rellenos so this was a natural fit with my palate. Thanks for the recipe!