Korean Steamed Stuffed Chili Peppers
Quick answer
- Total time
- 35 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 3 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Gochu-jjim is a traditional Korean banchan in which mild green chili peppers are hollowed out, dusted inside with a light coating of flour, then packed with a filling of ground pork, crumbled firm tofu, garlic, and scallion before being steamed until cooked through.
Read more
The flour coating is not decoration; it creates a thin binding layer that keeps the filling anchored inside the pepper during the entire steaming process, so each piece arrives at the table intact and firmly stuffed. Soy sauce and sesame oil work through the filling as it cooks, producing a savory, slightly nutty flavor that contrasts with the clean bitterness of the pepper skin. The steamed pepper itself stays slightly firm at the bite while the stuffing is soft and moist, and the interplay of those two textures is what makes a simple list of ingredients into a dish worth returning to. Gochu-jjim appears as a regular everyday banchan alongside rice and also earns a place on Korean holiday tables for its restrained elegance.
Ingredients
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Prepare 12 mild green chili peppers by trimming stems to 1 cm, slicing them lengthwise to remove all seeds, then dusting the inner surfaces evenly with 2 tbsp of flour to help the filling stick.
- 2Season
Combine 250 g of ground pork with 120 g of squeezed dry tofu in a bowl, then add 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 25 g chopped green onion, kneading until sticky.
- 3Prep
Fill the hollowed interior of each pepper generously with the prepared meat mixture, pressing down firmly with your fingers to ensure the stuffing is anchored against the flour coating and forms a smooth, flat surface.
- 4Control
Line a steamer with a damp cloth, arrange the stuffed peppers with the meat side facing upward once the steam rises, and cook over medium heat for 12 minutes until the pork is thoroughly cooked through.
- 5Heat
After 12 minutes, when the pepper skin is slightly translucent, cut into the thickest filling and confirm it is fully cooked through. Continue steaming if it is not done.
- 6Finish
Transfer the fully cooked stuffed peppers to a plate, arrange them cut-side up so the filling stays in place, and serve hot.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Gochu-jjim grounds a pork and tofu filling inside mild chili peppers using a flour dusting.
- Finish cue
- Continue steaming if it is not done.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
35min, 8 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 183 recipes
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Korean Crispy Kimchi Fried Dumplings
ground pork, tofu
Korean Stuffed Chili Pepper Pancake
ground pork, tofu
Korean Buckwheat Crepes with Kimchi Filling
ground pork, tofu