What is Dungan pepper and how can it be used?

Anyone who has been to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan has probably come across a strangely corrugated green vegetable in the markets. This is a relatively new variety of hot pepper, whose name is Dungan.

This product has already gained popularity among the people, and this happened not only due to its exquisite taste, but also because of its low cost. Let's look at how to use Dungan pepper and what it is.

Characteristics of Dungan pepper

What is Dungan pepper and how can it be used?

This vegetable inherited its name from the name of the people who grow it. The Dungans are an ethnic group that migrated from China to Kyrgyzstan, southern Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan after the defeat in the Yihetuan Uprising of 1989-1901.. It is in this area that a new type of hot pepper is now grown.

Dungan pepper is easy to distinguish from other bitter varieties by its appearance. It is smaller than the palm of your hand, bright green in color and has folds like an accordion.

Dungan pepper is grown in the same way as ordinary bitter pepper. At the end of February - beginning of March, seeds are planted for seedlings, after about 10 days the first shoots appear.

It is better to use separate cups for planting. Several seeds should be planted in each of them in order to select a stronger sprout after germination and remove the rest.

Attention! Lighting is extremely important for this vegetable, so it is better for the seedlings to stand on the sunny side - the best option for this would be the south side of the apartment.

Seedlings are transplanted into open ground 50-70 days after sowing the seeds, approximately in the second or third ten days of May. Seedlings are planted in the ground at a distance of 35 cm between bushes and 50 cm between rows. By mid-July, pepper bushes will delight you with the first fruits and will continue to bear fruit until mid-October.

Important! It is not recommended to plant hot peppers near sweet ones, as the latter may acquire a bitter taste.

Composition and properties

Dungan pepper is a type of hot pepper, but with a milder flavor than regular pepper.

According to the degree of pungency, the vegetable is divided into:

  • mildly burning;
  • medium hot;
  • very hot.

The weak-burning species is slightly different from the other two types in shape: it is shorter and somewhat thicker than its counterparts.

Dungan pepper is very aromatic, which makes it significantly different from ordinary hot pepper. It is also distinguished by a meatier structure, which allows you to prepare not only salads and sauces, but also individual independent dishes.

Culinary tricks

Dungan cuisine is unique and interesting. It is an independent direction of oriental cuisine and is divided into three categories: everyday, festive and ritual.

Bookmark this page so you don't lose recipes!

Pepper occupies a special place in the national cuisine, from which the Dungans prepare many delicious and varied dishes. It is canned for the winter, pickled, added to salads and sauces, first and second courses, fried with meat in batter. This vegetable can be frozen for the winter and dried.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with some recipes for dishes made from this amazing vegetable.

Important! It is best to work with the product while preparing dishes using disposable gloves.

Dungan stuffed peppers in batter

This unusual dish will definitely not leave you indifferent. To prepare you will need:

  1. Dungan pepper – 6-8 pcs.
  2. Minced meat - 300 g.
  3. Chicken egg – 2 pcs.
  4. Flour – 2 tbsp. spoons.
  5. Ground coriander – 0.5 tsp.
  6. Garlic – 2 cloves.
  7. Salt to taste.
  8. Vegetable oil for frying.

First, cut the product lengthwise and remove the seeds.

Then the minced meat is prepared. Pour ground coriander into the twisted meat and squeeze out the garlic, add salt to taste.What is Dungan pepper and how can it be used?

After the filling is ready, fill each half of the pepper with minced meat, pressing it down a little and distributing it evenly along its entire length.

The next step is preparing the batter. To do this, take the eggs and beat them a little along with a pinch of salt and flour. Bring the batter to a homogeneous consistency - so that there are no undissolved lumps in it.

The dish is almost ready. Now all that remains is to dip the stuffed halves of the prepared vegetable in batter and fry on both sides in vegetable oil. First fry the minced side of the pepper and then turn it over. Dungan stuffed peppers are ready.

This dish is best served with vegetables and bread.

Marinated Dungan pepper

This recipe is suitable for spicy lovers. Pickled peppers will add their piquancy to any side dish or meat.

To prepare you will need:

  1. Dungan pepper – 1 kg.
  2. Garlic – 8 cloves.
  3. Water – 1 l.
  4. Vegetable oil – 250 ml.
  5. Sugar – 4 tbsp. l.
  6. Salt – 1 tbsp. l.
  7. Vinegar 9% - 250 ml.
  8. Black pepper (peas) – 10-15 pcs.
  9. Bay leaf – 1-2 pcs.

All ingredients are designed for two liter jars.

We clean the pepper from tails and seeds. We remove the seeds without damaging the integrity of the product.If you can’t keep it whole, you can cut it lengthwise.

Prepare the marinade. Boil the required amount of water and add sugar, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, vegetable oil, 4 cloves of garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Simultaneously with preparing the marinade, sterilize the jars. You can sterilize in any usual way: steam, or pour boiling water over the jars.

When the marinade boils, reduce the heat and place the pepper in the boiling solution. After that, time it for five minutes and simmer. At the end of the process, add vinegar.

Place the remaining garlic evenly into sterilized jars. After the mixture has been stewed a little in the marinade, use a slotted spoon to place it in the jars and pour in the hot marinade. Roll up the lids, carefully turn the jar upside down and wrap it in a warm blanket. In this state, the canned dish should be left until it cools completely.

It is better to store this spicy Dungan vegetable snack in the basement or refrigerator.

Dungan pepper for the winter

This recipe is similar to the pickled pepper recipe, but here we use tomato juice instead of marinade.

To prepare you will need the following ingredients:

  1. Dungan pepper - 10-15 pcs.
  2. Tomatoes - 3 kg.
  3. Garlic – 3-4 cloves.
  4. Black pepper (peas) – 10 pcs.
  5. Salt – 2 tbsp.
  6. Sugar – 3 tbsp.
  7. Dill sprig with umbrella - 1 pc.
  8. Horseradish leaf – 1 pc.
  9. Vinegar – 1 tsp.

All of the ingredients listed are for one two-liter jar.

First, prepare the tomato juice. Grind the washed and stemmed tomatoes in a meat grinder. Pour the resulting mixture into a non-stick pan and place over medium heat until it boils.

Next, wash and dry the peppers. There is no need to peel this vegetable from its seeds.

When the tomato juice boils, leave it to simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes.

At this time, we prepare the jars - wash and sterilize them in any way convenient for you.

Then dip the Dungan pepper into the tomato juice and bring the resulting mixture to a boil.

Place a horseradish leaf, an umbrella of dill, salt, sugar, pepper, black peas and garlic at the bottom of a sterilized jar. Fill 2/3 with Dungan pepper and add tomato. At the end, pour vinegar into the jar and roll up the lids.

Turn the finished jars upside down, cover with a blanket and leave in this form until completely cooled.

Storage Features

Like all vegetables, Dungan pepper cannot remain fresh, aromatic and healthy for a long time. Therefore, there are various ways to store it. Some of them are listed above: pickling and canning.

You can also use Dungan peppers to freeze. First, remove the seeds from the vegetable and cut it into pieces. Another storage method is drying. Peppers can be dried using an electric vegetable dryer or in the sun.

Vegetables preserved in this way can be used to prepare spices or sauces.

Benefits and harms

Before talking about contraindications for use, let us note its positive qualities.

Thanks to capsaicin, pepper has the following beneficial properties for the human body:

  • reduces the risk of tumor diseases;
  • reduces sugar content in the body;
  • prevents inflammatory processes;
  • acts as an anesthetic and antiseptic.

Dungan pepper is rich in vitamins C, A and B vitamins, as well as elements such as iron, potassium and magnesium.

Contraindications for eating pepper

With all its positive qualities, the vegetable should be used with caution by people with cardiovascular diseases.

It is strictly forbidden to eat Dungan pepper for diseases such as:

  • vascular atherosclerosis;
  • gastritis;
  • kidney diseases;
  • liver pathology;
  • stomach ulcer.

An allergic reaction may also develop. It manifests itself as a sharp redness of the skin of the face. No treatment is required if an allergy occurs - just exclude this product from your diet.

Read also:

What vitamins are in bell peppers and how they are beneficial for the body.

A selection of the top 20 most delicious ways to pickle zucchini in jars for the winter.

What and how are bean seeds formed?

Results

Dungan hot pepper is a unique vegetable from which you can prepare many varied, colorful dishes of traditional Asian cuisine. It is used to make seasonings, preserves, marinades, stuffed dishes and salads, independent dishes and much more.

When eating Dungan vegetables, remember that only a moderate amount will be beneficial. In addition, in some cases its addition to the diet is contraindicated.

1 a comment
  1. Oleg Chili-Hobby

    Every line is a lie. Written by an amateur, on the fly.

Add a comment

Garden

Flowers