What is Mugen Piman?
The word “mugen (無限)” means “infinite” in Japanese. It refers to a dish that’s so delicious you could eat it endlessly. It’s not a specific dish but rather a concept and a movement, so there’s no fixed way of making it.
This time, I’m using green peppers and canned tuna. If you love green bell peppers, have some to use up or grow them in your garden, please give it a try!
Key Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Green bell peppers: In Japan, we use a small, slightly bitter variety called piman, but any green bell peppers you can find in your local market will work great.
- Canned tuna: It doesn’t matter if you pack it in oil or water, both work great! Just remember to drain off any extra liquid before adding it to your dish.
- Vinegar: I used rice vinegar, but feel free to use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or any similar mild vinegar you have on hand.
- Mayonnaise: Japanese-style mayonnaise gives this dish its authentic flavor with its rich, slightly tangy profile. However, any good-quality mayonnaise will work if Japanese varieties aren’t available.
- Other ingredients: Round out the flavor profile with toasted sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder, dashi granules, sesame seeds, and bonito flakes.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Mugen Piman at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
Slice the green peppers into thin strips.
Pour some sesame oil into a frying pan and fry the peppers over medium-low heat for about a minute.
While the peppers cook, use this time to mix together the ingredients for the sauce.
After 1 minute, when the peppers have softened slightly but still retain some crispness, pour the sauce over them and stir-fry until they’re evenly coated.
Keep cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated, then take it off the heat and put it in a big mixing bowl.
Add the thoroughly drained tuna and mayonnaise to the bowl and mix everything together.
Serve on a plate and sprinkle with bonito flakes and ground black pepper to finish.
I hope you enjoy this Mugen Piman recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Addictive Vegetables
- Mugen “Infinite” Cabbage Salad
- Japanese Potato Salad (Izakaya Style)
- Crispy Rice Salad with Salmon (Japanese Flavor Twist)
- Yamitsuki Smashed Cucumber Salad
Hungry for more? Explore my yamitsuki recipe collection to find your next favorite dishes!
Mugen Piman (Addictive Green Bell Pepper Stir Fry)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 250 g green bell peppers thin strips
- 50 g canned tuna drained
- ½ tbsp Japanese mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
Sauce ingredients
- ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp rice vinegar or other mild vinegar
- ½ tsp dashi granules
Toppings
- bonito flakes (katsuobushi) to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a pan on medium-low and add 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil. Once hot, add 250 g green bell peppers and fry for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, mix ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds, 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp rice vinegar and ½ tsp dashi granules. Pour it into the pan and continue to stir-fry until the bell pepper is evenly coated and the excess liquid has evaporated.
- Transfer the bell peppers to a heatproof mixing bowl and add 50 g canned tuna and ½ tbsp Japanese mayonnaise. Mix until evenly distributed.
- Serve with a sprinkle of bonito flakes (katsuobushi) and ground black pepper. Enjoy!
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