Veggie Tango: Stir-fried Eggplant, Potatoes & Peppers (Di San Xian, 地三鲜)

Hi, folks. Today I am gonna to show you another veggie dish: Stir-fried Eggplant, Potatoes & Peppers. It is a symbolic dish originated from Northeast China (the Dongbei Region). The name Di San Xian means “three treasures from the earth”, referring to three main ingredients: eggplant, potatoes, and bell peppers.

The story behind Di San Xian is rooted in the regional cuisine and the availability of ingredients in the area: In ancient folklore, there was a tradition known as "Tasting the Three Treasures" around the beginning of summer (Lixia). The emperors would hold a ceremony to welcome the summer by offering sacrifices of fresh meat, fruits, grains, and tea to honour the ancestors and harvest.

Over time, this evolved into the tradition of tasting the "Three Treasures" during Lixia, which include "Treasures from the Earth," "Treasures from Trees," and "Treasures from Water."

However, due to the harsh winters in the northeastern regions of China, it is difficult to cultivate fresh vegetables year-round whereas eggplants, potatoes, and bell peppers are hardy crops that can be stored for longer periods, making them readily available during the colder months. Thus, the "Three Treasures from the Earth" in these areas was adapted to include potatoes, eggplants, and peppers and become a staple in northeastern Chinese cuisine. Today, as you go to any Chinese restaurants around the world, you will find this dish on the menus.

After marinating in the historical flavours, let's sizzle our way to the main course! 

Di San Xian features perfectly charred and crispy potato, eggplant, and pepper stirred with a savoury garlicky sticky sauce. The restaurant style to cook Di San Xian is to quickly walk and flash fry all the ingredients through the hot oil. This process creates a crunchy crust outside and a tender texture inside. As I'm health-conscious and mindful of using minimal oil when cooking, my recipe would try best to avoid deep frying and using as less oil as possible.

Get ready to delve into the art of mastering the preparation of Di San Xian?! :)

Prep & Cook Time: 5 min Difficulty Level: Low

Spice Level: Low Cook Within: 10 min

Ingredients

• 2 potatoes (personal-dependent, ensure the amounts of the three veggies balanced)

• 2 bell pepper (personal-dependent, ensure the amounts of the three veggies balanced)

• 2 eggplants (personal-dependent, ensure the amounts of the three veggies balanced)

• 1/2 inch ginger, 2-3 pieces (optional)

• 3 cloves garlic minced (optional)

Sauces

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp cooking oil

• 1 tbsp corn starch

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 tbsp salt

Instructions

1. Prepare sauce mixtures

• In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, sugar, water and corn starch

2. Prepare veggies

• Slice the potato into slender strips/wedges, which shortens the frying time in oil

• Cut eggplants into irregular shapes (I like to make it as triangle) to create more crispy edges. Same way to process bell pepper

• Chop ginger into small pieces

Notices:
2.1 avoid the pieces of bell pepper too small
2.2 remove the surface starch of potatoes by a brief rinse in cold water before frying, which makes potato crispy and crunchy

3. Boil Eggplants

Traditional way to process eggplants before frying is to soak eggplants with slat to dehydrate which also fast the frying process.
Here I avoid this way by boiling eggplants in the hot water until they are soft. This process takes ~3-4 min which you can do while frying the potatoes

4. Cooking

• Heat the oil in a skillet until you can see the bubbles when you dig a chopstick in the oil

• Begin the culinary symphony by giving the potato a sizzling solo in the frying pan until both sides turn golden. ~6 min

• Following the potato's lead, let the bell pepper sizzle and dance in the pan, avoid overcooking. ~1 min

• Next, let the soft eggplant take the stage, sizzling and browning to perfection in the pan. ~2 min

• Last, gently pour the enchanting sauce mixture into the pan, letting it meld with the ingredients, and allow the magic to turn the sauce into a silky elixir and coat the veggies, which render the dish more tender and delightful. ~1 min

Ready to serve hot with with a bowl of fluffy steamed rice or a comforting bowl of couscous porridge!! You deserve the victory of mastering the dish ლ(╹◡╹ლ)

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