Chef's Table

Ardei Umpluți, or Stuffed Pepper, traces its origins to Romania, where it emerged under the influence of Ottoman culinary traditions during the 18th and 19th centuries. The dish became a symbol of home-style cooking in Romanian towns and villages, reflecting the region’s blend of Balkan and Eastern European flavors. Over time, it spread beyond Romania’s borders, gaining popularity across neighboring countries. In the mid-20th century, it was embraced in the USSR, where it became a familiar and much-loved part of Soviet-era cuisine.

Cooking Time:

1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500 g ground beef
• 3-5 pcs bell pepper
• 150 g rice
• 70-100 g tomato paste
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• salt
• sunflower or olive oil
• ground black pepper
• sugar
• cumin (optional)
• greenery, for decoration
• sour cream, for topping (optional)

Recipe:

1. Cut off the caps of the peppers and remove the insides;
2. Prepare the filling:
   (a) boil rice al-dente (7-8 minutes after the water started to boil) and give it a couple of minutes to cool down;
   (b) lightly fry the onion (finely chopped) and carrot (grated) in a frying pan with a little olive or sunflower oil;
   (c) put the raw ground beef to a bowl and mix it with salt, ground black pepper, cumin (optional) and the fried carrot/onion mix;
   (d) add cooled down boiled rice to the same bowl;
   (e) mix it all well until smooth.
3. Use your hands or a tablespoon to fill the centers of the peppers with this filling, and place vertically into a saucepan;
4. Prepare the sauce by mixing the tomato paste, salt, ground black pepper, cumin (optional) and warm boiled water, in a small bowl;
5. Pour the sauce on top and on the side of the bell peppers which you already have standing in the saucepan.
6. Cook with the lid off (or slightly open) for about one hour.
7. Remove the cooked peppers from the pan, place them flat on a plate, garnish with greenery (optional) and put sour cream on top (optional).