Tomatoes may get the bulk of the summer spotlight, but let’s take a moment to praise all the pepper and chile varieties that start to emerge during the warmer months. Everything from mild bell peppers to zesty chiles become their best selves: sweeter, juicier, more alive in flavor. This recipe for Korean-Style Fried Peppers pays homage to two popular approaches to cooking peppers: one is deep-fried and battered whole peppers (twigim), found all over Korea as a street food snack to accompany cold beer; the other is pan-fried (jeon) halves, a common side dish, or banchan, in Korean homes. Both are usually filled with meat (beef or pork) and tofu, the latter employed to stretch the meat and retain moisture in the filling. Traditionally you’ll find zucchini, carrot, and onion in the Korean versions, but here I opt for just scallions and garlic to amp up the alliums. When preparing the jalapeño halves, do not skip the step of dusting the insides with a thin layer of flour—this small but critical step will help keep the filling in during the cooking process. And whatever you do, don’t forget to serve these with the tangy soy dipping sauce; it pairs nicely with the freshly fried, crunchy stuffed peppers.
A note on frying: I recommend frying these in multiple batches in a Dutch oven so that the heat remains as steady as possible. They will only take a few minutes to cook so don’t walk away, and be ready to lightly season with salt as they come out of the pot. Set yourself up with a parchment-lined baking sheet with a wire rack set inside for the easiest and cleanest setup.
Here, I take a page from popular American jalapeño poppers and use that common variety for both its approachability and serving size. Experiment with any mild peppers that catch your eye at the summer markets. Longer, thinner skinned chiles or peppers like Anaheim, cubanelle, and—if you’re lucky enough—Jimmy Nardellos take especially well to this dish.
Read More: The 2026 Farmers Market Challenge
If you like this dish, you may enjoy Marinated Grilled Peppers, Grilled Kofta-Stuffed Peppers, or Blistered Cheesy Peppers.
Recipe information
Total Time
1½ hours
Yield
6–10 servings
Ingredients
Peppers
Batter and Assembly
Special Equipment
Preparation
Peppers
Step 1
Halve 1–1½ lb. jalapeños (9–12, depending on their size) lengthwise. Using your hands (wear gloves if desired) or a knife, remove ribs and seeds. Arrange jalapeño halves on a large plate or a rimmed baking sheet.
Step 2
Place a layer of cheesecloth, a kitchen towel, or multiple sheets of paper towels on a cutting board and set 8 oz. firm tofu (half of a 16-oz. package), drained, on top. Using the side of a chef’s knife and starting at the lower right corner, press down on tofu and flatten until block crumbles. Carefully gather edges of towel and, working over a bowl or the sink, twist to gently press tofu to drain off excess liquid. Repeat until most of liquid is drained.
Step 3
Transfer tofu to a large bowl and add 3 scallions, finely chopped, 6 garlic cloves, finely grated, 8 oz. ground beef, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tsp. sugar, 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; season with freshly ground pepper. Using your hands (wear gloves if desired) or a rubber spatula, mix meat mixture until evenly incorporated.
Step 4
Lightly dust insides of jalapeños with ½ cup all-purpose flour in a fine-mesh sieve (this is an important step as it will prevent meat mixture from popping out of jalapeños while frying). Turn and repeat on exterior of jalapeños; tap off any excess. Spoon meat mixture into each jalapeño halve to fill and press down on filling. (You may have a bit of meat mixture left over; add to any extra jalapeños or cook off separately and enjoy over rice.)
Batter and Assembly
Step 5
Pour vegetable oil into a medium Dutch oven fitted with thermometer to come about 1½" up sides (5–6 cups). Heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°. (Alternatively, if you don’t have a thermometer, heat oil until steady bubbles form around a wooden spoon handle or a chopstick when dipped into the oil.)
Step 6
Meanwhile, whisk 1 cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, 1 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl. Gradually stream in 1 cup water, whisking constantly until combined (some lumps are okay). Add ½ cup ice cubes (about a handful) right before using batter.
Step 7
Set a wire rack inside a parchment-lined baking sheet and place next to pot. Using tongs, add 6–8 jalapeño halves to batter and turn to coat. Remove, carefully tapping off excess, and slowly place in oil. Cook, turning occasionally, until filling is cooked and batter is light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Carefully remove jalapeños, letting excess oil drip back into skillet, and transfer to rack. Lightly season with salt. Using a spider or slotted spoon, remove any solid matter from oil. Repeat with remaining jalapeño halves, working in batches of 6–8. Let cool 5 minutes.
Step 8
While jalapeños are cooling, whisk 2 scallions, finely chopped, ¼ cup soy sauce, and ¼ cup seasoned or unseasoned rice vinegar in a small bowl to combine.
Step 9
Arrange fried jalapeños on a platter (avoid overlapping to prevent steaming) and serve with dipping sauce alongside.
