I love to introduce a very interesting and easy to prepare side dishes here, pan-fried fresh peppers with garlic and Chinese fermented black beans. Fresh peppers usually are used as side ingredients, but they can be super good with the right seasonings.

I am a big fan of fresh peppers, either hot ones or milder ones. Pan-frying is possibly the most quick way of cooking fresh peppers. It is a super good side dish and a good vitamin supplier.

Fermented black beans also known as dou-chi is a fermented product popular in Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines. And the best partner of fermented black beans is garlic. I have posted a super yummy black bean sauce mainly flavored with garlic. This combination can work super well in steamed dishes like steamed chicken with black beans or steamed ribs. Then I also find they present lovely flavor in stir frying dishes.

What type of peppers to use

• For this recipe, I highly recommend using peppers with a middle hot level. Hotter peppers is much stronger in aroma. But bell peppers can work too.
• Keeping the black bean as whole can help to avoiding over salted flavor.
• Use a turner to press the green peppers to get beautiful tiger skin.

Instructions

Peel the garlic and then pat with knife firstly. Cut into halves. Don't cut the garlic too small.

Remove the seeds of the peppers, clean well and then pat with knife firstly and cut into sections.

Heat wok or pan until really hot. Add the pepper directly into the wok and press them with a turner. This helps to increase the surface of the tiger skin.

Transfer the peppers to another side of the wok. Leave some empty space and then add oil, garlic and fermented black beans. Fry until aromatic. Mix well.

Add light soy sauce, salt and sugar. Mix well and serve hot.