A panfried chili pepper filled with a seasoned mixture of beef and tofu is equally at home as a side dish, a snack, or an appetizer with drinks. Korean chili peppers vary in spiciness. At the market, they are usually labeled, so you know if you are buying hot or mild peppers. Jalapeños are a little smaller than Korean chili peppers, if you’d like a hotter
substitute. If you have leftover filling, you can make small meatballs, flatten them, coat them with some flour and dip in beaten egg, then panfry them.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1½ teaspoons distilled white or apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of toasted sesame seeds

FOR THE PANCAKES:

• ¼ cup medium-soft tofu
• 4 ounces beef sirloin or tenderloin, minced, or ground beef
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 15 to 20 mixed red (hong-gochu) and green (cheong-gochu) Korean chili peppers
• 1 large egg
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the dipping sauce: Combine the soy sauce and vinegar in a small bowl and sprinkle in the sesame seeds.
2. Make the pancakes: Wrap the tofu in a paper towel or piece of cheesecloth and squeeze to remove excess water.
3. Combine the tofu, beef, garlic, onion, scallion, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, and sugar in a medium bowl and mix well with your hands or a wooden spoon.
4. Put the flour in a shallow bowl. Cut each pepper lengthwise in half, leaving the stems intact. Remove the seeds with a small spoon. Dip each pepper half in the flour to coat it inside and out. Fill each pepper half with some of the meat mixture, then roll the pepper in the flour to coat the meat and the outside.
5. Lightly beat the egg with the salt in a shallow bowl.
6. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the bottom. Dip a pepper in the egg to coat and place it in the skillet, filling side down. Repeat with enough peppers to fill the skillet without overcrowding. Cook until well browned on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. If the peppers are browning too quickly, turn the heat down to medium. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining peppers, adding more vegetable oil to the skillet as necessary.
7. Serve the peppers hot with the dipping sauce.