Marc at No Recipes started Blog Away Hunger, a way for us to contribute to a great cause while cooking and blogging. The idea is to make a meal that is cheaper than your usual meal and donate the rest to World Food Programme. Easy!

I’ve been wanting to participate for a while now, but I’ve been waiting for the perfect recipe. I wanted it to be cheap (the cheaper it is, the more I can donate) and I wanted it to be a complete meal with protein, veggies, and carbs. It should be filling and delicious, a good cost-saving way to feed any family.  Growing up, my mother never let us leave the table without a balanced meal. We couldn’t pick out the veggies, or leave pieces of rice. She taught us early on not to waste. Taught may not be the right word there, more like beat it into our skulls. In any case, these Stuffed Peppers with Black Bean Sauce was always a favorite of my brother’s and this complete meal is so cheap to make. I’m estimating $4.50 for 2 people: $3 for peppers, $1 for ground pork, 50 cents worth or sauce and rice. I don’t know how much we usually spend on meals. It really varies, but let’s say $20 for the two of us, so I’ll be donating $15.50. Don’t forget to check out Marc’s page on Blog Away Hunger.

Stuffed Peppers with Black Bean Sauce 6

Picking Peppers

This dish is easier to make if you pick the right peppers. Use thin fleshed peppers, like Anaheim or Cubanelle, not like bell peppers that are fat and meaty.

anaheim pepper halved and seeded

Pick straight peppers, not curved, because they are easier to fill and easier to cut. I chose to use green ones and red ones because I like more color. It’s up to you and how mild or spicy you want the peppers to be is also up to you. You can also mix with some sweet and some spicy.

Stuffed Peppers with Black Bean Sauce11

Stuffed Peppers with Black Bean Sauce
~12 stuffed pepper halves (enough for 2 generous main courses)

filling

  • 12 ounces ground pork
  • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 3/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons water

sauce

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon black bean garlic sauce
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 3/4 teaspoons sugar

assembly

  • 6 thin peppers (5″ to 6″ long)
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • rice to serve

Instructions –

1. In a large bowl, stir together pork, soy sauce, and sugar. In a small cup, stir together corn starch and water (called a slurry). Stir the slurry into the pork mixture. Set aside.

2. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, removing stem and seeds. Fill the peppers with meat mixture and set aside. *Keep in mind that since we’re not using the exact same peppers, you may have a little extra meat or a little less. You can add a pepper or take a way one.

raw stuffed peppers

3. In a small bowl, stir together sauce ingredients: water, garlic, black bean sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Set aside.

4. Heat oil in a large (12″ or larger) skillet on medium heat. Place peppers, meat side down, in skillet, and make sure it’s sizzling. When the meat has browned and releases from the pan easily, turn them over, turn the heat down to medium, and cook for about 2 minutes. (Depending on the size of the pepper, it may be hard to fit them, so you may have to brown the meat in two separate pans.)

stuffed peppers in pan 1 stuffed peppers in pan 2

5. Pour sauce over peppers and gently shift peppers around so that the sauce is evenly distributed.  Adjust heat to a simmer. Cover for 2 minutes, or until meat is cooked through.

5. Serve immediately over steamed white rice.

  • 6 thin peppers

Stuffed Peppers with Black Bean Sauce 4

posted by jessica at 04:47 PM Filed under Chinese, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.