Tiger-Skin Peppers (Hu Pi Qing Jiao)

The story

Hu pi — tiger skin — is what Chinese cooks call the leopard-spotted blistering a green pepper gets when you dry-fry it with patience. No frying fat required: just a dry pan, a lid, and a vinegar-soy glaze waiting at the end.

Ingredients (5 + pantry staples)

• Green peppers (Anaheim or bell) — 4, quartered and flattened
• Garlic — 3 cloves, minced
• Black vinegar — 1.5 tbsp
• Soy sauce — 1 tbsp
• Sugar — 1 tsp (counts here)

Pantry staples used (don't count toward the 6): salt, cooking oil (1 tbsp). Not stocked yet? See the pantry page.

Steps

1. Dry-fry the peppers in a hot pan (a drop of oil max), pressing with a spatula, 6–8 minutes until blistered and soft.
2. Add 1 tbsp oil and the garlic; 20 seconds.
3. Vinegar, soy and sugar; toss until glazed and syrupy.

Swaps

Same treatment on eggplant wedges, shishito peppers or zucchini halves.