Simple Bell Pepper Salad (凉拌青椒 Liang Ban Qing Jiao)

Well, it’s officially summer here. I will be posting more recipes that are suited for the summer season, such as salads, barbecued meat, and cool summer drinks.

I have been getting more and more green bell peppers from my garden these days (see pictures below). Despite the setback I had with summer squashes (thanks to the squash vine borers that destroyed them), my bell peppers have been thriving. Bell peppers are pretty low maintenance. They have few pests and produce abundantly. I was really happy with the results from last year: They started producing in May and kept producing all the way to November. So this year we almost doubled the number of bell pepper plants in our garden since they are so easy to grow.

The grated garlic in this recipe is much less pungent than minced or chopped garlic where the garlic pieces are much bigger. Nonetheless, the dressing does have a hint of spiciness. But the sugar in the dressing combined with raw bell peppers’ juiciness and mild sweetness mask the spiciness and make it hard to detect.

If you like bell peppers, here are some of my other recipes that use bell peppers as a main ingredient, Bell Peppers and Bacon Stir Fry and Pepper Beef.

Gluten Free, Vegan, Low Carb

Preparation Time:  10 minutes

Total Time:  10 minutes

Servings: 2 to 4 people

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 medium bell peppers ¹
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce ²
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation:

1. Thoroughly wash the bell peppers. Pat dry with a kitchen paper towel. Remove the stem, seeds and the veins (the inner white parts). Cut the bell peppers into thin slices and put them in a mixing bowl.

2. Peel the garlic cloves. Use a small mesh or cheese grater to grate the garlic cloves by rubbing them against the grate. Add the grated garlic to a small bowl. Discard the end pieces. Scrape the back of the mesh grater to get all the garlic off into the bowl.

3. In the same bowl, add 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sugar, mixing well. Pour the dressing onto the sliced bell peppers and mix evenly. Transfer the bell peppers to a plate and enjoy!

4. Optional: add some minced chili peppers or a few drops of chili oil for a spicier version.

Bon Appétit

Notes:

1. Any colored bell peppers work well. I always make sure to thoroughly wash the skin especially when using the non-organic kind in case there is any leftover pesticide residue on the skin. Fortunately, that’s not a problem for my self-grown peppers!

2. Use gluten-free light soy sauce if you are gluten intolerant.

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