Gochu Jeon (고추전), Korean Stuffed Peppers

We take an East-meets-West approach to Gochu Jeon (고추전), Korean Stuffed Peppers, which, we feel, results in pure culinary awesomeness. We start with long green peppers (gochu, 고추) which are a bit unpredictable in their heat but never spicier than a jalapeño. Their relatively thin walls make them ideal for bite-sized portions. The stuffing consists of seasoned pork and kimchi but also, in a nod to Central European stuffed peppers, cooked rice. Finally, we tie the little bundles up with chives (buchu, 부추) before steaming though admittedly this step is a bit challenging and purely cosmetic. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being fancy once in a while!

Gochu jeon are easy to prepare and you’d have to be dead inside not to enjoy their spicy, tangy meatiness. They’re also a great dish for entertaining as gochu jeon are quite handsome on a plate and the perfect size for an appetizer.

• 12-14 Korean green peppers
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang, 고추장)
• 1 cup day-old short-grain rice, chilled
• 1 cup drained kimchi, minced
• Chives (optional)
• Special equipment: steamer

Prepare the Peppers
Remove the narrow tip and the area around the stem from each pepper. Slice the peppers in half, creating two tubes, and rinse to remove seeds. Make a cut along the length of each tube to open it up for stuffing, sort of like a hot dog bun.

Prepare the Stuffing
Combine the pork, sesame oil, soy sauce, gochujang, rice and kimchi in a bowl and use your hands to mix just until ingredients are well incorporated. In other words, don’t over-mix.

Prepare the Gochu Jeon
Have a bowl of water available as keeping your hands wet will make stuffing the peppers a breeze. Add enough stuffing mix to each piece of pepper to moderately fill it, keeping in mind the stuffing somewhat expands when steamed. Tie a piece of chive around each piece. Or don’t. That’s none of our business. Set the prepared gochu jeon in a steamer and steam until meat is cooked, about 10 minutes. Enjoy with cold beer or soju.

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