Gochu-twigim (Stuffed Fried Chili)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4-quart pot or deep skillet
• •Frying thermometer
• •Small spoon for scraping pepper ribs
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose mild chilies

   Pick large, firm, mild green chilies, not the small angry ones. Gochu-twigim is anju (food for drinking), not a dare. Slice each chili lengthwise down one side, keeping the stem end attached, and open it like a book. Scrape out most of the seeds and ribs with a small spoon if your peppers run hot, because the filling should taste of pork, tofu, and green pepper before it tastes of heat.

2. 2

   Dry the peppers

   Pat the inside and outside of every chili very dry. Water is what makes the coating slide off and the oil spit back at you. Dust the inside lightly with potato starch and tap out the excess; this thin dry layer helps the filling grip the pepper instead of falling out in the fryer.

3. 3

   Mix the filling

   Crumble the pressed tofu into a bowl until no large pieces remain. Add the ground pork, onion, scallion, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon potato starch, and beaten egg. Mix with your hand in one direction for 1 to 2 minutes, until the filling turns sticky and holds together. This is the same lesson as mandu filling: loose filling falls out, sticky filling stays where you put it.

4. 4

   Stuff evenly

   Pack each chili with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling, pressing it into the cavity and smoothing the surface flat. Do not mound it high. A proud hill of filling looks generous before frying and punishes you after, because the outside browns before the center cooks through. The pepper should still close slightly around the filling.

5. 5

   Make the batter

   Whisk the flour, 1/3 cup potato starch, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add the ice-cold water and stir only until the dry spots disappear; small lumps are fine. Cold, lightly mixed batter fries crisp. Warm, overworked batter turns heavy, and then you have made a coat, not a crust.

6. 6

   Heat the oil

   Pour 2 inches of neutral oil into a heavy pot and heat to 170 C, or 340 F. If you do not have a thermometer, drop in a little batter; it should sink halfway, rise at once, and bubble steadily. Keep the heat steady. Too low and the batter drinks oil; too high and the pork is still raw when the outside looks finished.

   Use a thermometer if you have one. 손맛 is real, the hand-taste is real, but frying oil does not forgive guessing.
7. 7

   Batter and fry

   Dust the outside of 4 stuffed chilies with potato starch, dip them into the batter, let the excess drip for a second, then lower them into the oil filling-side up first. Fry in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until the batter is pale golden and crisp and the filling reaches 71 C, or 160 F. Do not crowd the pot. The oil temperature must recover between batches.

8. 8

   Drain and serve

   Lift the fried chilies to a rack, not paper towels, so the bottoms stay crisp. Rest them 3 minutes before serving; the filling finishes settling and nobody burns their mouth trying to be brave. Stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, water, and gochugaru for a sharp dipping sauce. Eat while the crust still answers your teeth.

Chef Tips

• •Buy peppers by size and temperament. Large Korean cucumber peppers, asak-gochu (crisp mild chilies), or Anaheim peppers work well. Jalapenos are usually too small and too sharp for this version.
• •For a tuna filling, replace the pork with 2 drained cans of tuna, 140g drained weight total, and reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. Mix with the same tofu, scallion, garlic, egg, and starch. It cooks faster, but still fry until the filling is hot through.
• •For a cheese filling, use a narrow stick of low-moisture mozzarella inside only half the pepper, then add a thin layer of pork or tuna filling to seal it. Cheese alone leaks. It needs a wall around it.
• •A rack is better than paper towels. Paper traps moisture against the crust, and the crispness you worked for disappears from the bottom first.
• •Leftovers can be reheated in an air fryer or 200 C, 400 F oven for 6 to 8 minutes. They will not be as crisp as the first serving, but they will still be worth eating.

Advance Preparation

• •The filling can be mixed up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Keep it covered and cold, then stir once before stuffing.
• •The chilies can be split, seeded, dried, and refrigerated uncovered on a tray for up to 6 hours. Do not salt them ahead, or they will weep.
• •Do not make the batter ahead. Mix it only when the oil is heating, because the cold water and light mixing are what keep the crust crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)