Bell peppers stuffed with a savory pork-and-rice filling, baked and finished with nutty miso-browned butter.
Stuffed peppers appear in Japanese home cooking as piman no nikuzume, usually filled with a seasoned ground meat mixture and pan-fried or baked. This version keeps that filling technique — pork, rice and aromatics packed into halved peppers — but finishes the dish with a browned butter and miso sauce, a combination that leans into miso's nutty side once it's cooked with browned dairy fat. Browning butter until it smells toasted and turns golden-brown, then whisking in miso off the heat, creates a sauce with real depth that a plain glaze wouldn't have. It's poured over the peppers just before serving so it stays glossy rather than absorbing completely. This is a Sunday-dinner kind of dish: a bit more assembly than a weeknight meal, but nothing technically difficult, and it holds up well as leftovers through the week.
Serves 5
Halve bell peppers lengthwise and remove seeds and membranes. Arrange cut-side up in a baking dish.
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
Mix ground pork, cooked rice, onion, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, egg and salt together until well combined and slightly sticky.
Pack the filling firmly into each pepper half, mounding slightly. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the filling is cooked through (74°C/165°F internal).
While the peppers bake, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it turns golden-brown and smells nutty, about 4-5 minutes.
Watch closely in the last minute — browned butter can burn quickly.
Remove the butter from heat and whisk in miso until smooth.
Spoon the miso-browned butter generously over the baked peppers and scatter with scallions before serving.
Pack the filling tightly so it holds its shape as it bakes; loose filling can crumble when serving.
Watch the butter closely once it starts foaming — the difference between browned and burnt is about 30 seconds.
Use white miso for the sauce; red miso can taste too aggressive next to the sweetness of the browned butter.
Use ground chicken or turkey instead of pork for a leaner version.
Add finely chopped shiitake mushrooms to the filling for extra umami.
Top with shredded cheese before the final few minutes of baking for a fusion twist.
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 180°C oven for about 12 minutes; the miso butter can be gently rewarmed and drizzled over just before serving.
Piman no nikuzume, meat-stuffed peppers, is a common dish in Japanese home cooking, often served as part of a bento or family dinner. The miso-browned-butter finish here is a home-kitchen addition rather than a traditional preparation.
Yes, the raw filling keeps refrigerated for up to a day; stuff the peppers just before baking for the best texture.
It likely went past golden-brown into burnt — the milk solids scorch fast once they start browning, so pull the pan off heat the moment it smells nutty and turns amber.
Yes, beef works well here; just drain any excess fat after browning if you're pan-searing the filling before stuffing, or simply mix it in raw as directed.
Per serving (300g / 10.6 oz) · 5 servings total
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