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Mexican

Rajas con Crema

A creamy Mexican poblano pepper dish with roasted strips, onion, sweet corn, Mexican crema, and cheese.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 6 September 2026Updated

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Rajas con Crema

45 mintotal

35 min hands-on10 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
Spice
Mild
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Includes 10 minutes of resting time for roasted poblano peppers.

Method

  1. Roast the poblano peppers over a flame or hot pan until the skins blister and darken.

  2. Place the roasted peppers in a covered bowl for the listed resting time, then peel, deseed, and cut them into strips.

  3. Heat the measured cooking oil in a pan and cook the onion until soft and lightly sweet.

  4. Add garlic, sweet corn, poblano strips, dry oregano, salt, and black pepper, then cook briefly.

  5. Lower the heat and stir in the Mexican crema until the vegetables are coated in a creamy sauce.

  6. Add Oaxaca cheese and warm gently until it softens into the sauce.

  7. Serve warm while the sauce is creamy and the poblano strips still hold their shape.

How to tell it's done

The dish should be creamy and soft, with poblano strips that are tender but not mushy.

Getting it right

Tip

Peel the poblanos after resting; this makes the skin easier to remove without tearing the flesh.

What to serve it with

Serve with warm corn tortillas, rice, beans, or as a vegetarian filling.

Common mistakes

The peppers will not peel.
Blister the skin properly — it should be blackened in patches, not merely softened — then trap them under a cover so the steam loosens it. Poblanos taken off the flame too early hold onto their skin and you end up tearing the flesh apart trying.
The crema splits.
Take the heat right down before it goes in and warm it through rather than simmering. Mexican crema is thinner than sour cream and breaks quickly over a lively flame.

Substitutions

  • Use Queso Fresco if Oaxaca Cheese is unavailable; it will be less stretchy.
  • Use a mild large green pepper only if Poblano Peppers are unavailable; the flavor will be different.
  • Use plain thick curd as a local substitute for Mexican Crema, but it changes the traditional flavor and still contains dairy.
  • Skip cheese for a lighter creamy side, but the listed version contains dairy.

Storing and reheating

Keeps three days in the fridge. Roasted, peeled poblano strips keep four days on their own and freeze for three months, which is the useful thing to prepare ahead. Reheat gently so the cream holds.