Every culture that grows peppers grills them, and the people who eat them always swear “they’re not that hot.” Well, in Japan, not only are they not that hot, they are often sautéed; and only in Japan are they sauced with miso. Use mild long green chiles like Anaheims or—if you can find them—mild long red chiles, and you’ll come pretty close to duplicating the original.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 servings

　　3 tablespoons dark sesame oil

　　12 to 24 long mild fresh chiles (depending on size; use your judgment), rinsed and dried

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2 tablespoons mirin or 1 tablespoon honey mixed with 1 tablespoon water

　　1/2 cup white or red miso

　　

Step 1

Put the sesame oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, after a minute or two, add the peppers. Cook, shaking the pan every once in a while, until they are nicely browned and shriveled, about 10 minutes. As they cook, sprinkle them with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, whisk together the mirin and miso. When the peppers are done, turn off the heat and pour this mixture over the peppers; stir to combine and serve immediately.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.