Di San Xian: Stir-Fried Potato, Eggplant and Bell Pepper
Each vegetable is fried separately and only brought together at the end in the wok with the soy and garlic sauce, which coats them and makes them shine. Serve right away, with white rice.
Di san xian means “the three fresh things from the earth”: potato, eggplant and bell pepper, fried separately and tossed in the wok with a soy and garlic sauce that coats them and makes them glossy. It's a home-style classic from northeastern China, and it's surprising that three such ordinary vegetables make such a flavorful dish. The secret is frying each one on its own, so the eggplant turns creamy and the potato golden.
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (about 400 g)
- 2 medium potatoes (about 300 g)
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 120 ml water
- Neutral oil, for frying
- Salt
- White rice, for serving
Method
- 1
Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 cm slices. Cut the unpeeled eggplant into irregular chunks of about 4 cm, rolling it a quarter turn after each cut, and the bell pepper into squares.
- 2
Toss the eggplant with one tablespoon of the cornstarch and a pinch of salt. That thin coating seals it as it fries, so it absorbs much less oil.
- 3
Make the sauce in a bowl with the soy sauce, sugar, the rest of the cornstarch and the water. Stir well.
- 4
Heat 3 cm of oil in the wok or a deep skillet and fry the potatoes for about 6 minutes, until golden outside and cooked through. Remove them.
- 5
In the same oil, fry the eggplant for 3 or 4 minutes, until golden and tender. Add the bell pepper right at the end, just for a few seconds, so it turns glossy without softening. Remove everything and drain.
- 6
Pour off almost all the oil, leaving one tablespoon in the wok. Stir-fry the garlic for a few seconds, pour in the sauce (stir it first, because the cornstarch sinks to the bottom) and cook until it thickens and turns glossy.
- 7
Return the vegetables to the wok and toss over high heat for 1 minute, until the sauce coats them. Serve right away, with white rice.