My friend and I ordered a version of this in a Manhattan bar and even greedy I was embarrassed at the speed at which we inhaled them. They were delicious -- cooked until they fell in on themselves, with little pockets of charred goodness here and there, yummily punctuated by the added surprise of a spicy shishito pepper in the mix every so often. The peppers were slicked with olive oil and a spice mix that tasted very familiar but could not place.
When pressed, our waiter laughed at us. "The seasoning mix from the little packet that comes in instant ramen" he said. Since the bar we were in was on the high-end side of things, I snobbishly did not believe him and have been trying to recreate this snack ever since, until I finally broke down and bought a package of instant ramen just to see. He had not been teasing me.
These are definitely worth making to serve with drinks. If, like me, you are not a huge fan of instant ramen spice packets, the closest I have come is to sprinkle the peppers with a half teaspoon of Old Bay, a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder, a little freshly ground ginger, and more salt than I might usually think was good for me...
1 6 oz package of shishito peppers
2 tsps olive oil
2 instant ramen seasoning packets
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Liberal sprinkling of flaky salt
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat for about a minute.
Lower the heat to medium and add the olive oil and the shishito peppers and spread them in one layer. Cook undisturbed for 30 seconds before shaking the pan to redistribute the peppers. Cook the peppers until they are tender (about 3 minutes total), making sure to shake the pan every thirty seconds or so so that they get a bit charred on all sides and acquire a thin sheen of oil.
Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the lemon juice, toss to distribute. Then do the same with the salt and the seasoning.
Serve at once, pipping hot and watch this disappear in faster time than you made it.
This is a four minute and thirty seven second to the table dish.