Papa's Shishito

Papa's Shishito

I am currently in Ohio visiting my family, so I have been quite spoiled and not cooking anything at all.  My parents have a nice garden, and one afternoon my stepdad whipped these shishito up for me.  They are mild/medium hot peppers.  They are incredibly tasty but expensive to buy.  Thankfully for me, my parents had ample amounts in their garden.  There a several ways to prepare shishito, but I'll share how my family does it.  There are two different ways my family seasons them...I'll give you both.  Either way you make it, it's delicious.  These can work as an appetizer or a light meal with some white rice.  I just ate the whole bowl without anything else.  It was so good but I don't recommend it.  My belly was burning for a while after that.  Lol. You will notice that I don't give any measurements in these recipes.  Basically because when making many Japanese dishes, my family almost never measures anything.  We just add stuff and taste test it along the way.  

Papa's Shishito 1

As many shishito as you like..my stepdad had a large bowl full

Vegetable oil 

Sesame oil

Oyster sauce

Sesame salt

1. In a large bowl add some vegetable oil and coat the peppers with it.  

2. In a large frying pan on med. to med. high heat, add the peppers and allow to sit in pan to get a little burn on them.  Turn the peppers to burn both sides.  

3. Add oyster sauce to taste.  Oyster sauce is pretty powerful so you don't need a lot.  For the large amount my stepdad made, he probably used about 2 tbsp of oyster sauce.  

4. Add some water to the pan...enough to cover the bottom.  Turn heat to low and cover. Allow peppers to cook for about 5-10 minutes. It is really up to you how cooked you want the peppers.  Add more water if needed..you don't want the water to burn up.  

5. When they are nearly finished, add a bit of sesame oil.  It gives it a nice flavor.  For this recipe, I'd guess about 1-2 tsp.  Sesame oil is also quite powerful so if you use too much, that's all you taste.

6. Serve in a dish and sprinkle some sesame salt on top and enjoy! 

Papa's Shishito 2

Shishito

Vegetable oil

Sesame oil

Soy sauce

Toasted white sesame seeds

Sesame salt

1. Follow the exact same steps as version 1..just season with soy sauce instead.  About 2 tbsp..but season to taste.  

2. While the shishito are simmering, toast some white sesame seeds in a separate, small frying pan.

3. Before shishito are completely finished, add sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds and toss to coat.

4. Serve in a dish and sprinkle with sesame salt.