Pickled Pepper and Bacon Stir-fry
These pickled peppers have reached the end of their ride, where bacon are waitin’ [Photo credit: Alex Paternostro]
by Seth Paternostro
November 4, 2021
Stir ‘em in, toss ‘em up
Toss ‘em up, stir ‘em in
Stir ‘em in, toss ‘em up, Bacon
Throw ‘em out, slide ‘em in
Slide ‘em in, throw ‘em out
Throw ‘em out, slide ‘em in, Bacon
Serves 4
Total time
20 minutes
Equipment:
cutting board, chef’s knife or cleaver, small mixing bowl, chopsticks, wok shovel or large spoon, clean kitchen towel or paper towels, large well-seasoned carbon steel wok, wok stand (if needed), “grease gutter” (small pan to pour off used oil), squirt bottle (for fresh oil)
Tableware:
serving bowl and utensils
Ingredients
12 mini bell peppers from Quick-Pickled Baby Bell Peppers
6 pieces bacon
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 clove garlic
½ shallot or ¼ red onion
Peanut oil, as needed
Salt, as needed
Rice, for serving
Instructions
Set out all equipment, tableware, and ingredients. Prepare Quick-Pickled Baby Bell Peppers.
Remove the peppers from the pickling liquid to paper towels. Cut off the stems, and de-seed the peppers. Slice into halves if not already done.
Smash, peel, and thinly slice the garlic. Peel, and very thinly slice the shallot or red onion. Slice the bacon into bite-size pieces. Mix the oyster sauce and soy sauce together in a small bowl.
Heat the wok over medium-high until lightly smoking, squirt in a tablespoon of oil, swirl to coat, dump excess oil into the grease gutter, reheat, and pour in 2 tbsp of fresh oil. Heat until shimmering.
Add the bacon to the oil a few pieces at a time to avoid clumping. Stir constantly until the bacon has rendered of its fat and curled slightly. Scoop out most of the fat, leaving about 2 tbsps in the wok with the bacon.
Add the garlic, stir briefly, then mix in the pickled pepper halves. Toss until just heated through, then drizzle in the sauce, mix, taste, and adjust with salt if needed.
Add the shallot or red onion slices, toss briefly, then take off the heat.
Transfer to a serving bowl, and enjoy this sweet, salty, and slightly smoky dish.
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 503 Total Fat 40.5g (52%) Saturated Fat 13.6g (68%) Cholesterol 69mg (23%) Sodium 1263mg (55%) Total Carbohydrate 18.6g (7%) Dietary Fiber 3g (11%) Total Sugars 10.2g Protein 16.4g Vitamin D 0mcg (0%) Calcium 7mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%) Potassium 209mg (4%) - Note: Please read our Nutrition Disclaimer.
Seth Paternostro is a writer and recipe developer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies. You can learn more about him here.
Cooked the dish? Please share it with friends!
Tag us on Instagram @ouramericancuisine, join our mailing list, and follow us on social media for more of our favorite recipes, essays, and more!