Bell peppers stuffed with seasoned ground pork, glass noodles, and wood ear mushrooms, simmered in a light tomato broth.
Stuffed vegetables appear throughout Vietnamese home cooking, most commonly as ca chua nhoi thit (stuffed tomatoes) or stuffed bitter melon, simmered gently in broth rather than baked dry in an oven. This version applies that same technique to bell peppers, filled with a mixture of ground pork, softened glass noodles, and wood ear mushrooms for a distinctive chewy texture that's a hallmark of Vietnamese stuffed dishes. Wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated from their dried form, add a springy, almost cartilaginous texture that contrasts nicely with the soft glass noodles and tender pork, a textural contrast Vietnamese cooking often seeks out deliberately. The stuffed peppers simmer directly in a light tomato broth rather than baking, which keeps the filling moist and infuses the peppers with flavor from the outside in. Finished with toasted sesame seeds and fresh herbs, this dish sits somewhere between a soup and a main course, traditionally served with rice and eaten as part of a larger family-style meal.
Serves 3
In a bowl, combine ground pork, chopped glass noodles, wood ear mushrooms, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper. Mix well until evenly combined.
Fill each hollowed pepper with the pork mixture, packing gently, up to just below the rim.
Heat oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add tomatoes and cook 4-5 minutes, mashing lightly, until they start to break down.
Pour in the chicken or pork broth and bring to a gentle simmer.
Carefully lower the stuffed peppers into the broth, standing upright if possible. Cover and simmer 25-30 minutes until the peppers are tender and the filling is cooked through.
Ladle the peppers into bowls with some of the tomato broth. Scatter toasted sesame seeds and fresh cilantro over the top before serving with rice.
Soak the wood ear mushrooms in warm water for at least 20 minutes until fully softened and pliable before chopping.
Mix the filling gently but thoroughly so the noodles and mushrooms distribute evenly through the pork.
Simmer the peppers gently rather than at a hard boil, or the peppers can fall apart before the filling finishes cooking.
Use ground chicken or shrimp instead of pork for a lighter filling.
Stuff tomatoes instead of peppers for a more traditional Vietnamese presentation.
Add a handful of bean thread noodles directly to the simmering broth for extra heartiness.
Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container, peppers submerged in their broth. Reheat gently on the stovetop; the peppers continue to soften slightly with each reheat.
Stuffed vegetable dishes simmered in broth are a hallmark of Vietnamese home cooking, particularly canh nhoi (stuffed soup) style dishes using tomatoes, bitter melon, or peppers, valued for stretching a modest amount of meat into a full, nourishing family meal.
Yes, though you'll lose the distinct chewy, springy texture wood ear provides — shiitake will add more umami flavor instead.
They were likely simmered too hard at a rolling boil — keep the broth at a gentle simmer throughout cooking.
They're translucent noodles made from mung bean or sweet potato starch; vermicelli rice noodles work as a substitute, though the texture will be softer.
Per serving (340g / 12.0 oz) · 3 servings total
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