Making Stuffed Bell Peppers with Crispy Fried Tofu Filling 🫑🫑

Hello Monday from Thailand! 😃 Today, as always, I have an afternoon cooking creation to share with friends. It's a fried dish made with bell peppers and soybean tofu. I prepared it by seasoning the tofu, then stuffing it into bell peppers that had been hollowed out (seeds and core removed). After frying, the result was incredibly delicious. If you enjoy cooking or want to try a new dish, I highly recommend this one. It's very easy.

🫑 Ingredients

6 Bell peppers
200 grams of soybean tofu
2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons of finely chopped carrot
1 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of Sam Krao (a paste of coriander root, garlic, and white pepper, pounded together)
2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped garlic
1/2 cup of tempura or frying batter mix
1 cup of cold water
Oil for frying

🫕 Instructions

Prepare a mixing bowl. Crumble the tofu into it with a spoon until it's in small pieces.

Add the Sam Krao paste, chopped onion, carrot, oyster sauce, and light soy sauce to the bowl.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. I let this mixture marinate for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the bell peppers. Wash them thoroughly and pat them dry
For each pepper, cut off the stem end. Then, make a single long slit down one side of the pepper. Use a small spoon to scoop out all the seeds and inner membranes.

Stuff each pepper with the marinated tofu mixture until they are all filled. Set them aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the frying batter mix with cold water until it forms a relatively thin, smooth batter with no lumps.

Prepare for frying. Heat oil in a pan or wok over medium heat. While the oil is heating up, I make crispy batter flakes for garnish by sprinkling a little of the dry batter mix into the hot oil. Wait until they puff up, turn crispy and golden.

Then remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Dip each stuffed bell pepper into the wet batter, then immediately into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy all over.

Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.

Finally, fry the coarsely chopped garlic in the oil until fragrant and golden brown. Remove and drain.

Plate the fried stuffed peppers. Garnish with the crispy batter flakes and the fried garlic.

Enjoy with chili sauce, ketchup, or even on its own, it's delicious any way! You can have it with steamed rice, as a side dish, or as a snack.

The tofu filling is slightly salty and fragrant with herbs, with a hint of sweetness from the onion inside. Paired with the aroma and mild spiciness of the bell pepper, it's a perfect match.

It's simple to make and looks appetizing, right? You should give it a try. You can change the tofu to other proteins you prefer. For cooking the stuffed peppers in this recipe, you can also steam, bake, or grill them according to your convenience. You could even dip them in egg before coating in breadcrumbs and frying. Thanks for stopping by!🤗