There's been a lot of talk lately in the food publication scene about appropriation of recipes and ingredients from other cultures. While I don't believe that people shouldn't be able to cook certain things strictly because they're white, there's something to be said about whether they should be the face of these ingredients and recipes. Bon Appetit has been one of my favorite publications in the past few years, but they're guilty of this (given the recent public exposure of internalized and externalized racism at BA, the media has harkened back to the publication's bastardized riff on halo-halo, and the now-removed video of a white chef teaching the proper way to eat pho.)
So I was tentative to post this recipe of shishito peppers, if you can even call it a recipe.
Here's the thing: over the past five or so years, shishito peppers have become super hip. Charred shishito peppers with dipping sauce have become a go-to bar snack in many Philly hotspots. They're cost effective, incredibly easy to eat, and delicious. They're also easier to find in the stores: in Philly, you can almost always find them at the Sprouts on Washington, and Acme will occasionally carry them during their peak. As their popularity rose, the internet became littered with recipes on how to blister them at home. A simple search of "shishito peppers" will illicit pages on pages of blistered shishito recipes, with variations on dipping sauces or glazes to add. I dug around trying to find what I thought was the authentic way to enjoy these in East Asia, but every website that popped up was an Anglo-focused blog or publication that provided the same technique.
It wasn't until I looked at the Wikipedia page for shishito peppers that I learned the cast-iron blister method was not the only method. In fact, blistering them appears to be inauthentic entirely, as the Wikipedia page indicates the skins are pricked to avoid popping (though they would still naturally char or shrivel when coming in contact with heat). Other methods include grilling and stewing, neither of which I have seen in my eating adventures in America. If you know of a place in America that stews their shishitos, I would love to know because that sounds absolutely delicious.
So here I am at a crossroads: I, a Cuban-Italian-American, have created yet another Anglo-focused take with this East Asian ingredient, and with Anglo-lensed dipping sauces nonetheless. Is this wrong? Probably, but I want to believe these few paragraphs before the recipe are doing something the other publications fail to do.
I am not claiming that my way of eating these ingredients is authentic. I am not trying to be the face of this ingredients. I don't claim any authority. This is simply how I enjoy eating shishito peppers. And while it may not be the most authentic, I still celebrate these peppers and these ingredients, and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to learn about ingredients from other countries (hence, my fascination with Indian and Middle Eastern spices, which we haven't gotten into yet on this blog).
If you are part of a large voice in the food publication world, appropriation and tokenization of ingredients is something to be cautious of. As a home blogger with a small following, I need to be equally as cautious. I don't think I should be forced to enjoy these peppers in secret, and I have every right to share my recipe, but I don't think I have any right to try to preach that these shishitos are the "best" or "most authentic" way of doing this because, frankly, I don't have enough experience with shishitos, nor do I know the first thing about the authenticity of preparing shishitos the same way someone from East Asia might.
There's a difference in tokenizing something as your own and being able to acknowledge things you will never be able to fully understand. I feel that when you openly recognize those things you will never be able to fully understand based on your culture or background, you are inviting others with an authentic viewpoint to share what they know. You are also challenging your audience to seek out more information beyond your publication, which breeds a culture of doing the work to learn more about others.
I don't want to be the face of shishito peppers. I just like them.
With 1 in every 10 hot,
~c.j.
BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS
COOK TIME: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1-2 tbsp oil (pretty much any oil will work; the higher smoke point the better)
1 lb shishito peppers, rinsed and dried
kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add shishito peppers to the pan and allow to sit about 5 minutes. Things should get a little smoky, and the skins should start to pop and blacken. If the pan appears dry, add another tbsp of oil. Use a wooden spoon to move the peppers around and flip them. Allow them to cook up to 5 more minutes to achieve even blistering (they can occasionally be stirred during this time, but try to avoid that if possible). Once evenly blistered, remove from heat, sprinkle with kosher salt, and serve with dipping sauce.
LEMON GARLIC MAYO
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 garlic clove
kosher salt
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp greek yogurt
1 lemon, juiced and zested
cracked black pepper
DIRECTIONS
On a cutting board, finely chop the garlic clove. Sprinkle garlic with kosher salt, and use the flat of the knife to smash the garlic, continuing to work until it becomes a paste-like consistency. Add to a small mixing bowl, then add mayonnaise, greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a few cranks of fresh cracked black pepper. Stir to combine, and taste for seasoning, adding salt or pepper as needed. Serve alongside blistered shishito peppers.
STRAWBERRY SOY DIP
PREP TIME: 2 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp strawberry jam (or any other jam, recommended: orange marmalade, plum jam, cherry jam, raspberry preserves)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, whisk together jam, soy sauce, and honey. Serve alongside blistered shishito peppers.
SESAME CHILI OIL
PREP TIME: 2 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Vietnamese chili garlic oil (Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam)
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame seeds (you can do all the same, or 1 tsp each of white and black)
1/4 tsp very thinly sliced scallion greens
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and scallion greens. Serve alongside blistered shishito peppers.
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