Stuffed green chillies (gochu jeon)

Jeon (pan-fried food with egg wash) is an indispensable part of the traditional Korean party menu and, as a child, I remember helping making jeon all day before a big party. Jeon is great because you can make it in advance and it keeps well in the fridge.

• serves

  6-8

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g pork mince
• 300 g medium firm tofu, dried with paper towel
• ½ cup finely diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
• 2 green onion (shallots), finely chopped
• 2 tbsp cooking sake                                          
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp plain flour for mix
• ⅓ cup plain flour for coating
• 20 green chillies, halved
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil for pan-frying

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Instructions

Combine the mince, tofu, onion, garlic, ginger, green onions, sake, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper and salt in a bowl. Add 2 tsp flour and mix. Stuff the green chillies with the pork mixture.

Lightly roll the stuffed chillies in the flour, shaking off excess. Dip the chillies into the beaten eggs.

In a large frying pan, add vegetable oil and gently pan-fry the chillies over medium heat until the pork mixture is cooked through (the chillies should be golden on the meat side and lightly green on the chilli side). Continue pan-frying with the remaining stuffed chillies.

Note

• The leftover mince mixture is usually formed into small bite-sized patties that are pressed down, rolled into flour and dipped into egg mixture and pan-fried like the stuffed chillies. The patties accompany the stuffed chillies.

Photography by Alan Benson

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.