Steamed Chilies with Shishito Peppers
Looking for tasty shishito peppers recipes? Try this easy Korean vegetable dish made with mild shishito peppers. Coated with flour and steamed, then tossed in a simple Korean chili flake sauce, this delicious Korean banchan recipe is easy to make and goes well with many Korean or Asian main dishes.
There are many different Korean side dishes (banchan, 반찬) made with seasonal summer produces. Out of all those, this steamed chilies recipe made with shishito peppers is one of my favorites.
This savory Korean banchan is called Kkari-gochu jjim (ê½ˆë¦¬ê³ ì¶”ì°œ). My mother used to make this quite often when a bounty of these little wrinkled chilies were available in a local market.
I could literally empty out a bowl of rice with this Korean side dish alone. It is full of flavor and nor overly spicy. The shishito peppers are just tender and so good!
Shishito Peppers
Here are the shishito peppers, Kkawri-gochu (ê½ˆë¦¬ê³ ì¶”), you have to use for this recipe.
If you go to Korean grocery store during spring and summer months, you can easily see these chilies. Luckily I often see these shishito peppers in many local grocery stores in the U.S. these days.
These small wrinkled green chilies are mild without being spicy. Therefore they make a perfect side dish to serve with many Korean main dishes.
Korean side dishes are so versatile and each of them are unique. I guarantee these steamed chilies won’t disappoint you.
How to Make Korean Steamed Chilies with Shishito Peppers
Making steamed chilies is quite easy and simple.
- You need to poke each chili with a fork for even cooking during the steaming.
- Toss the chilies with either plain flour or rice flour depends on your preference.
- Steam them until soft in a hot steamer, about 3-4 minutes.
- Make the chili sauce using Korean condiments and chili flakes. Then toss the chilies in the sauce. That’s it!
They can be somewhat spicy due to the Korean chili flakes but not overwhelmingly, though. You can always adjust the amount of chili flakes depends on your liking. You will love the gentle yet chewy texture of these steamed chilies.
Leftover Storage Tip
Store the leftover steamed chili in a covered container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To serve you can enjoy cold as is or microwave it for 30 seconds to warm it up slightly.
Some dishes do bring a wonderful memory. As I was enjoying these steamed chilies, I could picture a scene of the dinner table in my childhood, along with all the summer fun I had with my family.
And these humble steamed chilies in my rice bowl? Yes, they were also part of the scene as well.
Other Simple Korean Side Dishes
- Pan-Fried Potatoes (Gamja bokkeum)
- Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
- Pan Fried Tofu (Dubu buchim)
- Korean Spinach Side Dish (Sigeumchi Namul)
Steamed Chilies with Shishito Peppers
Ingredients
- 7 oz shishito peppers
- 3 tbsp rice flour, or wheat flour
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang)
- 1 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Place a steamer over the water in a large pot and heat over med-high heat. Meanwhile rinse the chilies with water. While wet, poke each chili once with a fork.
- In a plastic bag, combine the wet chilies and flour. Shake the bag to coat the chilies with the flour. Take the chilies out of bag shaking off the excess flour, place them in a hot steamer and steam for 3-4 minutes or until the coating seems translucent and not showing the raw flour on the surface.
- Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl, and mix well to make seasoning paste.
- Place the steamed chilies in a mixing bowl, add the seasoning paste. Toss well to coat the chilies evenly with the seasoning paste.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with rice. The leftover can be stored in a fridge for 1 week.
Thanks for sharing ^^
Awesome recipe. Thanks for the lovely blog and your recipes are great inspiration
I do so many different things with chillies but I would have never thought of steaming them. What a fantastic idea! (Actually one of our “standard” Swiss supermarkets carries exactly the same chillies all year round; they come from Italy or Spain, I don’t remember, but they look exactly the same, so I think I can test this dish quite soon).
This dish looks so delightfully flavorful! I’ve got to keep my eye out for this particular type of chili. 😀
Thanks for this recipe! I found these chili peppers at my Korean grocery store and made it for dinner. Yum!
A co-worker grows these and gave me a baggie full. I am totally going to try your recipe with them.