Description
Key Facts
- Ideal for stir-fry & Japanese recipes.
- Mild to medium hot
- Easy to grow.
- Takes about 2 to 3 months to grow
- Available from Amazon
Background
The Shishito pepper (also know as Kkwarigochu pepper in Korea)
- Originally from Japan (Although thought to have developed from peppers imported by the Portuguese in 16th century).
- Mild to medium hot
- Ideal for stir-fry and Japanese recipe.
- Days from seed to harvest – about 55 (2 to 3 months)
- About 60 to 100 cm high
Example Shishito pepper recipes
This is a great pepper for stir-fry & Japanse recipes. It is very popular in Japan, where it is often fried, drizzled with sesame oil and soy sauce, and eaten as an appetizer.
Example recipes:
- Grilled Chicken Wings with Shishito Peppers
- Sauteed Shishito Peppers
- Soy Glazed Shishito Peppers
How you can grow Shishito pepper at home
The pepper can be grown from seed.
How to grow the peppers outdoors (garden, balcony, etc.)
If you want to grow the peppers than they will prefer warmth as well as direct sunlight, well drained soil and need to be frost free.
That is why if you want to grow them outdoors then the best option is to start them indoors about 4 to 8 weeks before the last frost and then transfer them when the nights are warmer.
Fully grown they can be upto 60 to 100 cm in height i.e. an individual pot might be the best option.
How to grow the pepper indoors (hydroponics or aquaponics)
You will get the best results if you grow the crop indoors with heat. This will mean that crops can be grown all year round with the correct temperatures. A very hot pepper extremely pungent plants reach up to 1 meter under cover.
Because of the importance of moisture and light the peppers are ideally suited for hydroponics with additional lights.
Not only are they easier to grow, but you will also get fast results.
Minze Vries –
Of all the sweet peppers this is the only one I would grow. No, it’s not very colourful but as an ingredients not easy to find and great for recipes like stir-fry