Manganji Pepper

Aug 22, 2019 | Kitchen Culture, Summer

Manganji tōgarashi

Manganji Tōgarashi

万願寺唐辛子

Manganji tōgarashi are mild, tender capsicums with an earthy-rich aroma. They typically run about 100 SHU (Scoville Heat Units) compared to jalapeno that average 5000 SHU.

Manganji are named after the area near Maizuru City (Kyoto) where the varietal was developed. About 90 years ago, Japanese growers created this hybrid from their native Fushimi tōgarashi (a slender, slightly incendiary capsicum), marrying it to the bulbous and sweet, California Wonder bell pepper.

Left: Manganji tōgarashi stuffed with miso-chicken and glaze-seared

Right: Manganji tōgarashi showered with smoky fish flakes

Amenable to a variety of cooking methods, one classic way to prepare manganji tōgarashi is to skillet-roast them. The peppers can be finished with a shower of smoky katsuo-bushi flakes… or grated ginger if you want to keep the dish vegetarian or vegan-friendly.

Manganji tōgarashi are terrific slit, stuffed and seared, too.

DOWNLOAD recipes for

Manganji Togarashi no Okaka Ae

Manganji Stuffed with Miso-Chicken

UCHIWA (flat fans)

UCHIWA (flat fans)

In Japan, hand-held, flat fans called uchiwa have been creating cooling breezes for millennia. Uchiwa can be many things: In addition to being practical tools in the kitchen (for fanning rice when making sushi... for fanning cooking fires when broiling), uchiwa often...

BIWA (loquats)

BIWA (loquats)

This month I was inspired to choose biwa as the theme for my newsletter and web posts when I was gifted a box of luscious loquats from friends in Chiba. The southern Boso Peninsula is famous for Boshu Biwa, a premium variety cultivated there since 1751 and...

Osozai Side Dishes

Osozai Side Dishes

Modern households everywhere are challenged with balancing a desire to eat healthfully with limited time to prepare meals. In Japan, the food industry’s response has been to offer a vast assortment of prepared foods for sale through various outlets: convenience...

Using Food Fully

Using Food Fully

Meals planned around a single ingredient prepared in many ways are referred to as tsukushi (or zukushi) 尽くし menus. The verb tsukusu means "to use, or consume, entirely." This no-waste approach is both a frugal and practical way to cook, making the most of what is...

Recent Posts & Projects