Today I’m happy to re-introduce you to kkwarigochu-jjim made with shishito peppers. When I first made a video for this recipe 10 years ago, these thin-skinned, wrinkly, mild peppers could only be found at Korean or Japanese grocery stores, but now you can find them in many more neighborhood and farmer’s markets, especially when they are in season like now. The peppers are coated in flour and steamed and mixed with a savory seasoning sauce, so the texture is like a little bit sticky rice cake. It tastes spicy, salty, juicy, and savory and goes well with rice!
This recipe is pretty flexible – if you want to make it milder, you can skip the gochu-garu (Korean hot pepper flakes) or use less gochu-garu, and if you want to make it vegan you can skip the anchovies and use a savory vegetable stock instead of water, or just leave them out altogether. I guarantee it will still be good.
I eat these steamed peppers all the time so I’ve been very happy to see that so many people have enjoyed them over the years. Check out the new, more accurate measurements below, with HD video above! It can last up to 1 week in the fridge so it will be a good side dish to eat with little preparation. Just take it out and serve with rice and maybe a few more side dishes!
Ingredients
- 1 pound shishito peppers (kkwari-gochu in Korean), stems removed
- ¼ cup flour (or rice flour, glutinous rice flour)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 large dried anchovies, split with the heads, guts, and fishbones removed
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- 1 to 2 tablespoons gochu-garu (Korean hot pepper flakes), optional
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Steam the peppers:
- Wash the peppers in cold water a couple of times. Drain and put them into a bowl. If the peppers are too long, tear them into halves.
- Mix them with the flour with both hands.
- Bring 2 cups of water in a steamer to a boil. Add the peppers and the leftover flour. Steam for 7 minutes over medium high heat.
- Open, remove from the heat.
Make seasoning sauce and cook:
- Combine the soy sauce, water, and hot pepper flakes in a small bowl. Mix it well with a spoon.
- Heat a thick skillet over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil, garlic, anchovies, and stir them with a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies turn crunchy.
- Stir in onion and the sauce. Cover and turn down the heat to low and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes so that the broth turns savory.
- Add the steamed peppers and turn up the heat to medium high. Mix altogether with the wooden spoon for about 2 minutes until most of the broth is evaporated and the peppers are evenly coated with the sauce.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in the sesame oil and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
- Transfer to a plate and serve. Serve as a side dish for rice. The leftover can be kept in the fridge up to 1 week.
Maangchi's Amazon picks for this recipe
It's always best to buy Korean items at your local Korean grocery store, but I know that's not always possible so I chose these products on Amazon that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
Maangchi, Could I switch out the anchovies for anchovies in oil?
No, you need to use dried anchovies.
bonjour Maangchi ! fait ici en France : pas de shishito chez nous donc poivrons cornes doux rouges et verts et pas d’anchois séchées donc en boite : mais super sympa , la farine ajoute un truc agréable
I know this is an old recipe but it’s one of my favorites! And I just discovered an amazing shortcut! I toss the washed peppers in flour on a baking sheet and then mix the rest of the ingredients and pour it on top. Then I broil it in the oven for about 3 min, turn over/toss and broil 3 min more. it seems to cook more evenly than with a pan. Also, less dishes to wash.
See full size image
I just made this from the shishito peppers I grew in my garden! It was soooo yummy and tangy and spicy and salty with a little sweetness from the honey and the fragrant sesame oil. We it ate with lettuce salad, kimchi, doenjang jigae, and rice. Delicious!
I envy your shishito pepper garden! : )
Shishito peppers are milder than other peppers, so you can use them in many ways. I’m glad to hear that you like this recipe.
Is it okay to not use flour? What would be the difference between using the flour and not using the flour?
You can replace flour with rice flour or sweet rice flour.
Hello Maangchi.. If i can’t find shishito peppers, can i use regular green peppers instead? Thanks Maangchi ^^
Yes, you can use any types of green chili peppers. If the peppers are too big, cut them into bite size pieces.
Hi Maangchi , I love this recipe .
I wonder if all side dishes could be stored for a month?
No, it will be ok up to 3 days.
Do I store this in the refrigerator or at room temperature?
yes, store in the refrigerator up to 3 to 4 days. Good luck!
Okay People I made a small change to this recipe so it can become a balanced meal.
I took 20 dried anchovies and deheaded and gutted them, and simmered them in water till tender, removed the bones and then added the meat to the pan with the garlic, and then when it called for water I used the anchovy broth…
Tender anchovies, spicy sweet peppers and rice…
YUMMY
Will try tonight!
is this recipe the same as this: http://www.hmart.com/shopnow/shopnow_newsub.asp?p=026536810599 ???
the link above is my favorite side dish/kimchi.. is this how it is made & what it is called? — i requested this recipe a few years ago, when you first started your show. i don’t know what it is called, because the koreans in my area treat me like i’m a nincompoop (or so i feel like they are doing), because i’m white & they won’t tell me what the korean name of it is… much like the h-mart website… they don’t tell you what the proper name of it is, either… it’s just some “seasoned hot pepper” side dish.. *rolls eyes*
also.. if this is the recipe as the link i posted, how can i make more sauce? it seemed kinda thin on the sauce & that’s the best part!!! lol i want that delicious salty, sweet, spicy, gooey sauce!!! it’s what makes the dish!
also, is it better to use rice flour or all purpose flour? what is more traditionally used? i can buy all types of korean flour, as i have like 3 korean grocery stores in my area & a multitude of other asian stores– chinese, vietnamese, thai, japanese, indian, etc..
i also noticed that the peppers are different than what is in the link, or what i am typically used to seeing & buying in the store. what kind of peppers are like the ones in the link? i know where to get shishito peppers.. in fact i grow them.. but they aren’t the same as the korean ones..
i know it’s a lot of questions, but you must understand that i have been searching for a good recipe for that “side dish” “kimchi” “pickle” etc.. whatever it is.. since i was in korea in 2005 and 2006.. that’s 6 to 7 YEARS that i have been looking and NO ONE has had it!!!! it is incredibly frustrating!!!! and even if they did have it, i wouldn’t know, because i don’t even know the name of it, because NO ONE tells me what it is! i want to pull my hair out sometimes! lol it’s just so frustrating!
that side dish is SO expensive for me to buy ($45 + tax per tub of it) & it requires like 3-6 months of fermentation to taste right! i basically have to pay $45 a month to have it on hand,, because i can eat a whole tub of it by myself in a month!
please help me, maangchi! :)
thanks for your time!
forgot to ask… the “seasoned hot pepper” side dish that i buy has carrots, green onion, garlic and honey, as well as some sugar.. it’s salty, sweet, spicy & gooey.. the peppers are crispy & taste like they were soaked in a brine or something… it’s a hodge podge of total delectable deliciousness that makes my mouth water just thinking about it!! LOL
It’s gochu jangajji: 고추장아찌 (pickled green chili peppers). Pickled green chili peppers are seasoned with hot pepper flakes, sugar, rice syrup, garlic, sesame seeds..
The recipe will be posted someday.
I would love to have this recipe. The Korean store near me, Arirang, sells it but it is pricey – $5 for about 1/2 – 1 cup. The peppers are hot, but are not jalapenos. They sell a Korean long pepper, but the cured peppers seem to be much hotter. They are addictive, so I can really appreciate Orion’s comments.
Love to see this recipe!!!
Maangchi #1!!
Thanks!
Wow, Maangchi! This is DElicious. I made a special trip all the way to HMart in Great Neck from Hauppauge to get these peppers. Plus Hmart is my favorite place to shop. When I got home I had to steam some frozen mandu to overcome my hunger before I could begin to cook. Now the peppers are done and I know what you mean about wanting to eat them all. Only used 1 tsp of hot pepper flakes so the taste is mild, crunchy, salty, a little sweet – perfect. Making doshirak for my boyfriend for tomorrow with some of these :D
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience with us! You made lots of efforts to make this dish! But I’m happy to hear that it turned out delicious! “Making doshirak for my boyfriend for tomorrow with some of these..” Cheers! : )
Maangchi,
Do you think I could use these sauce ingredients to make that delicious garlic stem side dish? I have tasted it at H-Mart and it seems like it has soy sauce, sugar gochu chang, sesame oil etc. I don’t think it is true kim chi but it looks like it. Maybe I will steam the garlic stems first and then stir them with sauce.
What do you think???
Thanks Maangchi!
yes, garlic stems will work well with this recipe.
Maangchi I LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes and videos I jump of joy every time i see a new video of yours……..I wanted to know how do you make that rice with peas? is it the same way as making steam rice and you add peas when it’s time to cook?
I really wanted to make this but couldn’t find the shishito peppers in my area so I just used the normal green mild peppers sometimes used for antipasti. It was a bit spicier but it was soooo good!
I’m moving out at the moment and this will definitely be on my plate very often as it’s cheap, quickly made and so delicious!
Thank you for sharing the recipe! :)
aww, good news! If you make it again, please upload the photo so that we could share your photo with more people. I think many people will be interested in learning about your modified kkwarigochujjim recipe. https://www.maangchi.com/photos/upload
Made this shishito peppers today. Super delicious!
oh you found the peppers in your country, cool!
I can get Shishito Peppers at Assi Plaza, in North Wales, Pa
Hi Maangchi, I just bought some shishito peppers over the weekend, but I probably won’t be using the whole bag right away, can I freeze the rest of the peppers?
Also, is there a substitute for the dried anchovies, in case I cannot find them?
Great video as usual, everything looks mouthwatering!
Keep the leftover shishito peppers in the fridge. Don’t freeze them. If dried anchovies are not available , how about using chicken broth?
Thanks! I’ll try that!
I used a couple dashes of fish sauce instead of dried anchovies and it came out great.
OMG! This looks so good! Just like my mum’s cooking. Can’t wait to try it but unfortunately Kwarigochu is not available in Singapore. You make it so easy to cook. I would love to try it myself one day. Thank you again for sharing your great recipe which is always my favourite one.:-)
Ooh this looks incredible delicious – I can’t wait to try it out! You have two of my other favorite side dishes in your doshirak :) I really like how you include the links at the end to the other recipes – excellent idea.
Thanks Jamie! Where are you going to upload your delicious kkwarigochujjim photo? : ) Yeah, I know you have been making the 2 side dishes often.
I love these tiny chili peppers!
yes, can you find them in your area?
awesome……
sound great! Love the new ‘look’ too.. very good :)