Burmese “Chicken” Mint Stuffed Bell Peppers: A Flavorful and Healthy Recipe
If you're looking for a new and delicious way to enjoy bell peppers, look no further than this Burmese-inspired recipe for “chicken” mint stuffed bell peppers. This dish is not only tasty but also healthy and easy to make. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the recipe and explore its many benefits.
Sometimes we have moments where we miss the comforts of home, the familiar faces, the places we used to frequent, and the places that we didn’t frequent nearly as much. For me, when I lived in Portland, I had moments where I miss the romantic side of San Francisco and all of its amazing places like Burma Superstar.
A few years ago, while I was at Powells Books, I came across Burma Superstar's cookbook, Burma Superstar: Addictive Recipes from the Crossroads of Southeast Asia, and immediately knew I had to buy it. I quickly got home, enjoying browsing through the pages, wanderlusting around Burma, and drooling over all of the amazing recipes and images.
I decided to re-create their chicken and mint minced meat dish. It is very similar to Thai laap. Loads of mint and cilantro give this minced style using Ground “Chicken” to replicate this dishes vibrancy. It was a very simple dish to create and was ready in no time. Enjoy it with rice or as a lettuce wrap, this dish will not disappoint! Because I've been repeating this recipe, I decided to tweak a few things here and there, and stuff it all into a bell pepper. For the obvious reasons of following a plant-based lifestyle, I swapped the minced chicken for Ground “Chicken”: The result? Amazing! The best. part is that you can make it in under 30 minutes.
Why This is better Than Beyond Meat or other Vegan “Meats”
This Walnut “Chicken Meat” recipe is a healthier and better than Beyond Meat for several reasons. First, this recipe is entirely plant-based and contains no processed or artificial ingredients. On the other hand, Beyond Meat is made with several processed ingredients like pea protein isolate, mung bean protein isolate, and canola oil.
This recipe uses whole foods like walnuts and mushrooms, which are nutrient-dense and provide various health benefits. Walnuts are an excellent source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber, while mushrooms are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. This recipe is also lower in saturated fat and sodium than Beyond Meat. Beyond Meat contains 5 grams of saturated fat and 390 milligrams of sodium per 4-ounce serving, while this recipe has only 1 gram of saturated fat and 110 milligrams of sodium per serving.
Finally, this recipe is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than Beyond Meat. Plant-based foods require fewer resources and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than animal-based products.
Burmese “Chicken” Mint Stuffed Bell Peppers
(Keto-Friendly, Gluten Free, Plant Based, Egg Free)
What You'll Need
Mint-”Chicken” Mix
Ground “Chicken”:
2 cups whole walnuts
8 oz (260g) baby bella (cremini) mushrooms
8 oz (260g) shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons of No-Soy Soy Sauce (or 2 tbsp coconut aminos + 1 tbsp dried tomatoes)
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of pink salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Mint-”Chicken” Mix:
1⁄2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 tablespoons sambal oelek
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon No-Fish Fish Sauce
2 tablespoons coconut oil
6 to 8 small garlic cloves
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1-2 Thai chiles, sliced
1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro, plus extra sprigs for garnish
1⁄4 cup chopped mint
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
4 Red or Orange Bell Peppers, halved
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
1 avocado
What You'll Need To Know
Ground “Chicken”: In a food processor, pulse the whole walnuts until they are crumbled but not completely ground. Add the shiitake, baby bella and the rest of the ingredients from the Ground “Chicken” and pulse until the mushrooms are diced and combined with the walnuts. The Mixture should be similar to ground meat.
In a dry wok or skillet, toast the cumin seeds and mustard seeds until the cumin is fragrant and the mustard seeds start to pop in no more than 30 seconds. Transfer to a mortar with a pestle or a coffee grinder used for grinding spices and pulverize into a coarse powder.
Mint-”Chicken” Mix: In a small bowl, mix together the sambal, coconut, no-fish sauce, and sesame seed oil.
In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Tilt the wok so the oil pools to one side and add the garlic cloves. (This helps the garlic cloves stay submerged in oil so they fry more evenly.) Fry until lightly golden and softened about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic cloves. Leave the oil in the wok.
Heat the wok over high heat. When the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the minced garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for a few seconds and add the Ground “Chicken”. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir-fry the Ground “Chicken” briefly, then press the meat against the sides of the wok to increase the surface area and decrease how much the Ground “Chicken” steams. (If using a skillet, spread the meat evenly across its base.) After a minute, stir the wok so the meat doesn’t stick together. Repeat this step until the meat is light brown in places and pale in others, about 3 minutes, depending on the wok and the burner strength.
Stir in the mustard-cumin blend, sambal mixture, fried garlic cloves, and jalapeño. Stir constantly until the liquid just lightly coats the meat. Mix in the chopped cilantro and mint. Serve with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges.
When ready to plate, in a bowl transfer the meat mix and mix in 1 cup cooked quinoa.
Scoop and stuff each bell pepper half and top with avocado slices.
This recipe was originally published in May 2018; Edited and updated May 2023
