Di San Xian Stir Fried Eggplant Potato And Pepper

Di San Xian (地三鲜) is a signature northern Chinese dish from the Dongbei Region (or Northeast China), where my mom’s family comes from. When I was growing up in Beijing, it was a dish we frequently served at home and ate at restaurants. The name Di San Xian means “three treasures from the ground”, referring to the potato, eggplant, and green pepper in the dish. These are the most common vegetables in any market in northern China and they also symbolize the end of the summer harvest. It’s also called stir fried three treasures, or stir fried three delicious in some restaurants. Like many other Northeast Chinese dishes, the cuisine emphasizes a family style presented in a rustic way that is often viewed as less elegant. However, the cooking method does turn these three plain vegetables into a feast that will have your mouth watering simply by looking at it!

Why this recipe

To cook Di San Xian in restaurant style, you will need to quickly fry all the ingredients in hot oil in the wok. It is called Guo You (过油) in Chinese, or flash fry. It literally means to walk the ingredients through the oil. This process creates a lightly crispy crust on the outside of the veggies without using any batter, while keeping the inside al-dente. When it comes to home cooking, I try to avoid deep frying as much as possible. So I’ve developed a few tricks to create crispy veggies with less oil and an easier process. The veggies will brown beautifully with a crispy char on the surface and tender inside, just like you’d find in a restaurant.

Ingredients

This is a perfect dish for the end of summer and fall because you might be able to find those beautiful Asian eggplants in the farmer’s market or at a regular grocery store. These days I’m delighted to find more and more of them outside of Chinatown. When they are out of season, you’ll probably need to run to the Asian market to find them.

Cannot find Asian eggplant?

Although Asian eggplant generates better results, I’ve successfully cooked this dish with regular eggplant. As long as you follow the method in the recipe, your eggplant will turn out crispy. Soak the eggplant in salt water for 15 to 20 minutes, dry it thoroughly, and then coat it with cornstarch. This is my default method for creating crispy eggplant without deep frying. The salt water will extract moisture from the eggplant, so it will not turn soggy during the cooking.

How to cut the vegetables

Slice the potato into half-moon shapes instead of cutting it into wedges, so that both sides crisp up perfectly in the pan and the pieces will cook faster. For the eggplant, I like to cut it into irregular shapes that are about bite-size, to create more crispy edges.

Prep the ingredients

You should group the ingredients together so it’s easier to add them during the cooking. Plus it saves you some plates to clean up later. You can use any type of potato in the dish. Russet potatoes will become a bit crispy on the outside and creamy inside. The yellow and red yukon potatoes will be a bit crispy throughout. I usually grab what happens to look best at the market.

Cooking process

Afterthought

After making countless stir fry dishes, I’ve found again and again that cooking in small batches creates much better results. The recipe below only yields two servings (as a main) or 4 small servings as a side. You can always double the recipe, but remember that you need to pan fry the veggies in small batches to achieve the best outcome. To enjoy Di San Xian, serve it hot on top of steamed rice or boiled noodles. I guarantee you’ll finish a big plate of it in no time!