Chinese Dì Sān Xiān: Sautéed Potato, Eggplant and Green Pepper

This classic Chinese comfort food dish is a study in texture. When you think potato and eggplant, you probably think mush.

Think again.

In this recipe, they’re soft on the inside and crispy on the outside from shallow frying before hot sautéing.The flavour is mild – there’s no chili pepper and the only seasonings are salt, soy sauce and sugar, which lets the naturally sweet eggplant and potato shine. They’re so sweet (not like candy sweet, but more like a bagel versus a piece of toast) that the bitter green pepper can be kind of a welcome relief.

And in northeastern China, where this dish originates, frying can become more of an art than it is an ode to fast food. The name dì sān xiān I believe roughly translates to “earth three fresh,” referring to the three main ingredients.

According to the International Potato Center (that’s a thing), the potato probably came to China’s Fujian province via trade with Dutch settlers occupying the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait in the mid-1600s. They may also have come around the same time from the west via Russian traders and missionaries, eventually ending up in southern Manchuria and northern China.

Now, China is the world’s largest producer of potatoes. It may not have the variety of Peru and the Andes region of South America where the potato probably originated, but it grows a whole lot of McDonalds-friendly starchers.

Chinese Dì Sān Xiān: Sautéed Potato, Eggplant and Green Pepper

4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
1 long purple eggplant (~250g)
1 potato (~200g. It’s most often something like a Yukon Gold but any potato will do)
2 green peppers
3 chopped green onions
2 tsp chopped ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp white sugar
Pinch salt
2 tsp soy sauce (gluten free for the gluten free-ers)
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 4 tsp water

Place a wok or large skillet or pot over high heat. Add the oil and heat to 70˚C (158˚F) or until a piece of potato sizzles immediately when you add it. Add the potato pieces and stir well until golden, about 3 minutes. If they don’t turn golden in this time, turn up the heat. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon. Place on paper towels in a single layer to drain (if you stack them, they’ll get soggy). Add the eggplant and fry until turn golden. Remove and drain on more paper towel. Add the green pepper for just 3 seconds, then remove and drain.

Pour off most of the cooking oil into a clean jar (when it cools, pour it through cheesecloth and store in the fridge for future use). Leave just enough oil in the wok to coat the sides. Add in the green onion, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds over high heat. Return the potato, green pepper and eggplant to the wok and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry for 30 seconds more. Taste and adjust seasonings (more soy sauce and/or sugar as necessary).

Serve immediately with white rice.