This is the kind of tiny side dish that quietly saves dinner on a busy weeknight — green pepper and chikuwa tossed with shio kombu and sesame oil into a quick Japanese-style namul. There’s no stove involved: the peppers get soft in the microwave, and then everything gets mixed in one bowl. Start to finish it’s about five minutes, and it uses up the two lonely green peppers and the half-pack of chikuwa that always seem to be sitting in our fridge.

The clever part is the shio kombu (salted kelp) — it brings salt, umami, and a little glutamate-rich depth all at once, so you barely need any other seasoning. A splash of Kyushu’s sweet soy sauce and some sesame oil, a shower of sesame seeds, and that’s genuinely it. This is a real everyday fukusai (side dish), not a dressed-up one — the sort of thing that fills the little dish next to the rice at home.

A small dish of Japanese green pepper and chikuwa namul with shio kombu and sesame seeds

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

No stove needed. The microwave does the only cooking — soften the peppers and mix.
Five ingredients, five minutes. Shio kombu carries the flavor, so the seasoning list is tiny.
A great fridge-clearer. Perfect for using up leftover green peppers and chikuwa.
A real everyday side. The kind of unfussy little dish that actually appears on Japanese home tables and in bento.

What is Green Pepper Namul?

Namul (ナムル) is originally a Korean way of seasoning blanched or raw vegetables with sesame oil, salt, and sesame — and like a lot of Korean flavors, it’s been happily adopted into everyday Japanese home cooking. This version pairs thin strips of green pepper with chikuwa, the tube-shaped fish cake that’s a staple in Japanese fridges. The chikuwa adds a mild savory, slightly chewy bite that makes the dish feel a bit more substantial than a plain vegetable side.

The real workhorse here is shio kombu — kelp simmered in soy and salt, then dried. It’s one of the great Japanese shortcut seasonings, and it does the same job in dishes like tataki ume kyuri (smashed cucumber). If you keep a bag around, this whole recipe basically seasons itself. Want to make your own? See my homemade shio kombu.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Green peppers	2	Cut into thin strips
Chikuwa	2	Fish cake, cut into thin strips
Shio kombu	5 g	Salted kelp — the main seasoning
Soy sauce	1 tsp	I use Kyushu’s sweet soy sauce
Sesame oil	2 tsp	For that nutty namul aroma
Toasted sesame seeds	To taste	Sprinkled at the end

The two pantry staples that make this sing are toasted sesame oil and shio kombu. If you can’t find shio kombu (salted kelp) locally, it’s easy to order online and keeps for ages — it’s worth having around for quick sides, onigiri, and rice. Any soy sauce works, but if you can get a sweeter Kyushu-style one, it suits this dish nicely.

How to Make Green Pepper Namul

Step 1: Prep the Green Peppers and Chikuwa

Cut the green peppers in half, remove the stem and seeds, and slice them into thin strips. Cut each chikuwa in half lengthwise and then into thin strips so they’re roughly the same size as the peppers.

Two whole green peppers and two chikuwa fish cakes on a cutting board

Green pepper sliced into thin strips and chikuwa cut into matching strips

Step 2: Microwave the Peppers

Put the green peppers and chikuwa in a heatproof bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave at 600W for about 1 minute 30 seconds. You just want the peppers softened and warmed through, not fully cooked to mush.

A bowl of sliced green pepper in the microwave, ready to soften

Step 3: Drain, Then Season

Drain off any water that’s collected in the bowl — this keeps the namul from turning watery. Then add the shio kombu, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Shio kombu added to the drained green pepper and chikuwa, with sesame oil and soy sauce beside the bowl

Step 4: Mix and Finish

Toss everything together until the shio kombu is evenly distributed and starts to soften into the vegetables. Finish with a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Taste and add a little more soy sauce if you like — but the shio kombu usually has it covered.

Green pepper and chikuwa namul tossed with shio kombu and sesame seeds in a bowl

Pile it into a small dish and serve. It’s good warm, but I actually like it best chilled from the fridge — the flavors settle and it makes a perfect little side.

The finished green pepper and chikuwa namul served in a small Japanese dish

Tips and Variations

Drain well. Tip out the water after microwaving so the seasoning clings instead of pooling.
Let it rest. Give it 10 minutes (or chill it) so the shio kombu softens and the flavors meld.
Add a little heat. A pinch of chili flakes or a few drops of chili oil makes a nice spicy version.
Swap the fish cake. Kamaboko, imitation crab, or even canned tuna work in place of chikuwa.
No shio kombu? Use a small pinch of salt plus a little dashi powder, or a few strips of tsukudani kelp.

What to Serve It With

This is a small supporting side, the kind you set next to a main and some rice:

Next to a main like hamburg steak or teriyaki chicken.
With rice and miso soup as part of a home-style set meal.
Tucked into a bento box — it travels well and holds its flavor.

Storing

Keeps for 2–3 days in a sealed container in the fridge, and honestly it gets tastier on day two as the shio kombu fully melds in. Give it a quick stir before serving. It doesn’t freeze well — the peppers lose their texture.