Fruiting vegetables
Dried Green PeppersDrying Time, Storage and a Sesame Ponzu Recipe
We dried Japanese green peppers (piman), which are smaller and thinner-walled than American bell peppers. Dried, they firm up, get crunchier, and their fresh green aroma intensifies. The bitterness concentrates too, so soak or blanch dried peppers before using.
Green peppers have thick walls, so they don’t get crisp when dried; they stay a little soft. They mold easily at room temperature, so store them in the fridge.
| Drying time | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | 2–4 days | 2 weeks in the fridge |
| Semi-dried | 2–6 hours | 5 days in the fridge |
Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.
How to dry green peppers
- Cut: Halve lengthwise and remove the stem, seeds and white ribs.
- Pat dry: After washing, wipe the inside dry with paper towels. Water pooling in the hollow is where mold starts.
- Lay out and dry: Lay them on a basket cut side up, somewhere sunny and breezy. Turn them about once a day and bring them in by evening.
- Strips are faster: Cut into thin strips, they become semi-dried and ready for stir-fries in 2–3 hours.
Where and when to dry is covered in How to Dry Vegetables, and tools in Tools for Drying Vegetables.
When they’re done
Dry (2–4 days)
They’re done when they’ve shrunk, the edges have gone wavy, and they’ve turned a dull, dark green. They stay a little soft, but no moisture should seep out when you press them.
Semi-dried (2–6 hours)
The surface is dry and they’re limp. In stir-fries, they stay crisp instead of watery.
Day by day
Before drying
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Storage
- Dry: Keep in a bag in the fridge and use within about 2 weeks.
- Semi-dried: Keep in a bag in the fridge and use within about 5 days.
- Frozen: Both can be frozen for about 1 month. Use them straight from frozen in stir-fries.
Fuzzy white or green growth, black spots or a bad smell are signs of mold or spoilage. Don’t eat them; throw them away. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.
Rehydrating and using them
- Rehydrate: Soak dry peppers in water for about 3 minutes, then boil in salted water for 2 minutes. This softens the bitterness.
- Semi-dried: Use without soaking in stir-fries, Chinese pepper steak, kinpira or Japanese-style ketchup spaghetti.
- Good in: Dressed side dishes, grilled and marinated peppers, stuffed peppers (using rehydrated halves).
Recipe
Dried green peppers with sesame and ponzu
- 8 pieces dried green pepper
- A pinch of salt
- A: A little bonito flakes, 1 tsp ponzu (citrus soy sauce), a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
- Soak dry peppers in water for about 3 minutes, then boil in salted water for 2 minutes. Cut semi-dried peppers in half and boil for 1½ minutes.
- Drain and toss with A.
