Japanese cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Blistered Shishito Peppers in Dashi-Soy

Blistered shishito peppers marinated in seasoned dashi-soy, eaten lukewarm or chilled.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 400 g shishito peppers (or Padrón peppers)
• 300 ml dashi
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 5 g bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• 1 piece ginger (2 cm)

Instructions

1. Bring dashi, soy sauce, mirin and rice vinegar to a boil, sprinkle in the bonito flakes, remove from the heat and let steep for 5 min., then pour through a fine sieve into a shallow dish.
2. Wash the shishito peppers, pat dry and prick each once with a knife tip so they don't burst in the pan.
3. Peel the ginger, cut into very fine strips and add to the still-warm broth.
4. Heat sesame oil in a wide pan over high heat and fry the peppers for 4–5 min., turning occasionally, until the skin blisters dark all over and collapses slightly.
5. Drop the hot peppers straight into the broth so they sizzle as they go in, and let them steep for at least 15 min. — added hot, they absorb the most seasoning.
6. Arrange the peppers with a little broth in small dishes and serve lukewarm, or chilled well after 2 hrs. in the fridge, as an appetizer.