Whole bell peppers stuffed with a seasoned ground pork and rice filling — oyster sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, ginger, and garlic make it distinctly Chinese rather than the more common Italian-American version. The peppers bake at high heat, first upright until the filling sets, then rolled to caramelize the exposed sides. Cremini mushrooms sautéed into the filling first add umami depth and keep the pork from being too dense. A quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar and sesame oil on the side cuts the richness perfectly. The filling makes extra — Wednesday lunch is a reheated stuffed pepper.
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers — choose ones that stand upright, any colour
- 1 lb ground pork, 80% lean
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 × 8oz pack cremini mushrooms, finely sliced
- 2 tsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tsp garlic purée or 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper (not black — white pepper is the right flavour here)
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
- ¾ cup cooked jasmine rice
- Quick Cucumber Salad
- 2 cucumbers, sliced thin or cut into half-moons
- 1 tsp salt (to draw out moisture)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1–2 scallions, sliced thin
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425F. Wash the peppers, cut around the stem to remove the top, and hollow out the seeds and white ribs. Save the tops — they go back on before baking.
- In a pan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and mushrooms in neutral oil until lightly browned, about 4–5 minutes.
- Add the ginger and garlic, cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the ground pork, salt, and white pepper. Break into fine crumbles and cook until browned all the way through, 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat, if any.
- Add the rice wine and cook 1 minute. Stir in the cooked rice and oyster sauce until thoroughly mixed. Taste for seasoning.
- Fill each pepper with the pork-rice mixture, packing firmly. Replace the pepper tops. Lightly sprinkle salt over the outside. Stand upright in a baking dish (use a small ball of foil to prop any that tip). Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes upright.
- Then roll each pepper onto one side for 10 minutes, then rotate to the other side for 10 more minutes, until the pepper reaches your preferred tenderness.
- The exterior caramelises and chars slightly — that’s the goal.
- For the cucumber salad: Slice cucumbers and toss with 1 tsp salt. Let sit 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Whisk together rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Toss with cucumbers. Top with sesame seeds and sliced scallion. Can be made up to 30 minutes ahead — it gets better as it sits.
Notes
Portions: Him: 2 stuffed bell peppers + cucumber salad (~600 cal) | Her: 1 large stuffed bell pepper + cucumber salad (~330 cal)
