Golden Pan Fried Green Peppers and Egg

If you’re searching for a dish that is incredibly fast, packed with a surprising amount of flavor, and uses just a handful of simple ingredients, you have come to the right place. This recipe transforms humble green peppers and eggs into a savory, slightly spicy, and utterly addictive dish in under 20 minutes. It’s not quite an omelet and not quite a scramble; it’s a unique, rustic pan-fried cake that gets broken into delicious, bite-sized pieces. The process is wonderfully simple, relying on a pan-frying technique that creates a beautiful golden-brown crust while keeping the inside tender. The gentle heat of the peppers combined with warm, aromatic spices makes this a perfect meal for a quick lunch, a satisfying breakfast, or a fantastic side dish for dinner. Its ease of preparation makes it a go-to recipe for busy weeknights, proving that you don’t need a lot of time to create something truly special.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started. I’ve estimated the quantities for a generous single serving, which you can easily double or triple. The beauty of this recipe is its flexibility, so feel free to adjust to your taste.

Ingredients:

• Long Green Peppers: 5 to 6, about 1 cup when sliced
• Large Egg: 1
• All-Purpose Flour: 3 to 4 tablespoons
• Salt: ½ teaspoon, or to taste
• Thirteen-Spice Powder: ¼ teaspoon
• Vegetable or Canola Oil: 2 tablespoons, for frying

Notes on Ingredients:

• Peppers: The original recipe uses “line peppers” (线椒), which are long, thin, and moderately spicy. An excellent and widely available substitute would be Anaheim peppers for a very mild heat, or Serrano peppers if you prefer a spicier kick. Jalapeños also work well, just be sure to adjust the quantity based on your spice tolerance.
• Thirteen-Spice Powder (十三香): This is a wonderfully fragrant and complex Chinese spice blend. It’s savory and warm, often containing ingredients like star anise, fennel seed, cinnamon, and clove. If you can’t find it at a local Asian market or online, Chinese Five-Spice Powder is a fantastic substitute. In a pinch, a tiny dash of cinnamon mixed with black pepper and a pinch of ground cloves will also give you a lovely aromatic warmth.

Ready to cook? This comes together in a flash. Just follow these simple steps for a perfect result every time.

1. First, prepare your peppers. Wash them thoroughly and pat them dry. Slice them into thin rings, about ¼-inch or a little less than 1 cm thick. Place the pepper rings in a medium-sized bowl. Crack the egg directly into the bowl with the peppers, then add the salt and the Thirteen-Spice Powder. Stir everything together with a fork or chopsticks until the egg is lightly beaten and all the pepper rings are coated.

2. Next, it’s time for the flour. Add the flour to the bowl one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue adding flour until you have a thick, sticky batter that clings to every pepper ring. You aren’t looking for a thin, runny pancake batter; the goal is to have just enough flour to bind the peppers and egg together.

3. Place a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Let the oil heat up for a minute until it shimmers. Carefully spoon the pepper mixture into the pan and use the back of the spoon or a spatula to spread it into a single, even layer, like a large pancake. Reduce the heat to medium-low. This gentle heat is key, as it allows the egg to cook through and the exterior to become golden without burning. Let it cook undisturbed.

4. After about 3-4 minutes, the bottom of the pepper and egg pancake should be firm and golden brown. You can gently lift an edge with your spatula to check. Carefully flip it over. A large spatula makes this easier. Cook on the second side for another 3-4 minutes, until it’s also beautifully golden and cooked through. Now, use the edge of your spatula to break the large pancake into smaller, bite-sized pieces directly in the pan. Stir them around for another minute to crisp up the edges slightly.

5. Remove from the pan and serve immediately while hot and fragrant.

The moment this dish comes out of the pan, you’ll be hit with the most incredible aroma—the fresh scent of the peppers, the savory richness of the fried egg, and the warm, exotic notes of the spice blend. Each bite is a wonderful contrast in textures, with crispy, golden-brown edges giving way to a soft, tender interior. The flavor is savory, comforting, and just spicy enough to keep you coming back for more. We absolutely love to eat this wrapped in a warm flour tortilla or a soft flatbread, which turns it into a quick, satisfying handheld meal. It’s also fantastic served over a simple bowl of steamed rice. It’s such a simple, humble dish, but it delivers on flavor in a big way. I truly hope you give it a try—it might just become your new favorite 20-minute meal! Let me know how it turns out for you in the comments below.