Bell peppers stuffed with garlicky basil pork and simmered in a light tomato broth until tender.
Stuffed vegetables show up across Thai home cooking, most often as stuffed bitter melon or cucumber simmered in a clear broth, a dish that leans on the vegetable's mild bitterness or coolness rather than a tomato-forward sauce. This version swaps in bell peppers, which are easier to source and hold their shape well, and takes its seasoning cues from pad kra pao — garlic, chili, fish sauce, and a big handful of Thai basil folded through the pork filling. The filling needs to be packed just firmly enough to hold together during simmering without becoming dense; overworking the pork mixture makes the stuffing tough once cooked. Simmering the stuffed peppers gently in a light tomato-and-stock broth, rather than baking them dry, keeps the pork moist and lets the peppers soften without collapsing. It's a comforting, one-pot dinner that borrows Thai flavor logic — garlic and chili bloomed in oil, basil added at the very end — while landing somewhere between a Thai soup and a Western stuffed pepper.
Serves 4
Cook half the garlic and chili in 1 tbsp oil until fragrant, 1 minute. Cool slightly, then mix with ground pork, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, egg, and chopped basil until just combined.
Pack the pork mixture into the hollowed peppers, mounding slightly on top, without pressing too firmly.
Heat remaining oil in a wide pot, add remaining garlic, cook 30 seconds, then add crushed tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer.
Nestle stuffed peppers into the broth, cover, and simmer gently for 30-35 minutes until the peppers are tender and the pork is cooked through (74C/165F internal).
Stir extra basil into the broth off heat and ladle everything, peppers and broth together, into bowls over rice.
Mix the pork filling just until combined — overmixing makes the stuffing dense and rubbery once cooked.
Choose peppers that can stand upright on their own in the pot, or wedge them against each other so they don't tip during simmering.
Check the pork's internal temperature with a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the stuffing to confirm it's fully cooked.
Use ground chicken or turkey instead of pork for a lighter filling.
Add cooked jasmine rice to the filling to stretch it further and change the texture.
Swap crushed tomatoes for coconut milk for a richer, curry-like broth.
Refrigerate in the broth in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove over low heat, covered, until warmed through.
Stuffed vegetables simmered in broth are a common Thai home-cooking technique, traditionally made with bitter melon or cucumber filled with seasoned minced pork — a practical way to make meat go further in a family meal.
Yes — poblano or larger jalapeños work, though they'll add more heat than sweet bell peppers.
Regular sweet basil is a fine substitute, though the flavor will be less peppery and anise-like.
They were likely simmered too hard — keep the broth at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, so the pepper walls soften without splitting.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 4 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes
Have feedback or need help?
We read every email and reply within 1–2 business days.
© 2026 MyCookingCalendar. All rights reserved.
