Blistery, roasty peppers tossed in a sweet 'n spicy soy dressing. The perfect side to noodles, rice dishes, as an appetizer, or on its own! This recipe makes 8 ounces of delicious shishitos.

Shishito peppers have become a popular appetizer at American Japanese restaurants in the last few years, and I am HERE for it. I order it every time I see it on a menu. They represent the best kind of starter dish for me: light, fresh, flavorful, and has a little bit of mystery in each pepper. They're perfect for mild thrill seekers: most are mildly zesty, but every now and then a lil' spicy baby will surprise you.
Ingredients:
8 ounces shishito peppers
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
Bonito furikake for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 450F.
In a mixing bowl, toss the shishito peppers in the olive oil and HALF of the sesame oil. Spread out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast for 4-5 minutes or until the peppers start getting brown/black blisters.
While the peppers are roasting, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, soy, sugar, rice vinegar, and sambal oelek.
Toss the blistered shishitos in the dressing and serve immediately. It's great topped with bonito furikake.

I made this to accompany my katsudon (recipe coming in the next post!), but I ended up gobbling half of these before I served dinner. Woops! They're so addicting.
- Arielle