Shishito Peppers (Try Something New!)




One of my favorite amusements during these crazy times has been trying out new foods which I normally would not try. These are various vegetables, fruits and meats which I spy in a supermarket and think to myself, ya know what? I’ve never tried that. Let’s give it a go!

I won’t spend hundreds of bucks but if something is within my budget, I’ll give it a go! So bring on the breadfruit, bring on the ugly tomatoes, bring on the sea urchin, bring on the kangaroo! I’ll try ‘em all! Umm… maybe not the kangaroo! Kangaroo is expensive!

Haha, I bet you though I’d say the sea urchin! I actually like sea urchin. Uni, as it is known, is one of my favorite sushi. It has a light sweet flavor. It is not for the faint of heart but if you ever try it, you may be pleasantly surprised!

I was at a local food store called Bill’s Produce in Schuylkill Haven, PA. It’s known for its cheap affordable produce as well as friendly staff. I spied a small long green pepper which I’ve seen before but never tried, the shishito pepper. Now I don’t have the biggest appetite for hot peppers but I had heard these were milder than the long hots, jalapenos and others. I was curious and for $1.00/small basket, this was a price I could afford!

According to Wikipedia, shishito peppers are “a sweet, Asian variety” of pepper. It is also known “kkwar-gochu in Korea due to its wrinkled surface resembling ground cherries.” They are small, finger-length and easy to prepare. The Japanese name refers to the tip of the pepper which resembles a lion’s head.

After scouring the internet for various recipes, I decided to just try them sautéed in oil, with some garlic, salt and pepper. I heated them up, carefully blistering each side for a couple minutes, making sure I didn’t overdo it. They have a thinner skin than most other peppers and can overcook quickly if you are not watching.

Shishito peppers are known for being relatively mild. HOWEVER, every 7th or 8th pepper can land you with a spicy bite! That’s almost the fun of it. You cannot tell which one is gonna be mild or hot! The hotness is determined by various factors and you can’t tell just by looking at it! They are also the perfect light little appetizer or finger food.

If you are in the mood to try something new which may or may not pack a punch, try these little peppers. I was pretty happy I went out of my comfort zone and purchased them. Easy to prepare, tasty and fun to eat.



Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 30, 2020 at 8:26 PM

    Thanks for introducing these peppers. But, BILLS. He is only selling them because nobody else is buying them at the wholesale market where he does his buying. JR.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MoragMay 31, 2020 at 8:27 AM

    I would try them but if I got a hot one,I would scream. I dislike hot foods. Thanks for telling us about them.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

AP Cake, A PA Dutch Recipe

Image
"AP Cake" A couple of years back, I had a blog project named “Cooking Through Family”. You can check out the recipes I made on the labels tab of the same name on the front of my blog page. I made about 85% of my Mom’s, Dad’s family, and Mom’s family recipes learning about my family as I went through each recipe, remembering our fun time, etc. The only ones I did not make were the baking ones which included the cakes, cookies, bars and pies.  The Clutzy Baker I don't know why but I've always had an unnatural fear of baking but it  always seemed so scientific. Now I am not talking about the Betty Crocker box cakes, brownie mixes, or chocolate chip cookie dough "rolls". I am talking about baking from scratch. Almost anyone can spoon out cookie dough and shove it in the oven for 30 minutes.  In school, I’ve always been better with the arts, literary and history classes rather than sciences or mathematics. I always meant to get back to the baking recipes and I th...
Read more

A Monster Allergic Reaction: Erythritol

Image
Marc with Hives (Cabbage Patch link) By chance, I completed this blog post on Mother's Day so I guess I will put it up dedicated to my dear Mother Abby. Not a day goes by where I don't think about you, miss you, and love you. And I guess I will thank my Mother for passing on a whole mess of allergies to me, LOL. It's not so bad, I live with them. Sometimes as you will see below, a new allergy will crop up and be added to my list. As my Mom once said to me, "Your allergies? Well you can thank your Mother for that one!" A couple years ago, my doctor recommended I stop drinking so much coffee as well as those energy drinks. I drank the energy drinks fairly often like at least once every couple days. It didn't matter the brand, just whatever was on sale or available. He had stated that he thought there was nothing beneficial to them from a nutritional standpoint and he'd rather have me drink my coffee instead. I did not completely give up my coffee bu...
Read more

Favorite Kitchen Tools

Image
"Voile" Pasta Measurer by Alessi Throughout the years, I have acquired several favorite cooking tools as gifts or through my own discoveries. I am always on the lookout for cool kitchen gadgets. Mom's favorite kitchen tool was the wooden spoon. When we stepped out of line, she would grab it and threaten to paddle us with it. She was kidding/half serious most of the time but I think I remember once or twice when I got the spoon to my butt for being a bad kid. Mom swore by wooden kitchen tools and to this day, I have plenty in my kitchen as well. The first favorite kitchen tool is the "Voile" Alessi Pasta Measurer. Alessi is an incredible Italian design company. Check out more of their wares at www.alessi.com . It was a gift from my father and stepmom Martha. Each circle in the pasta measurer is for a different amount of pasta. It was truly a perfect gift from the two of them as it encompassed Martha's passion for the kitchen and cooking, and ...
Read more