Di san xian (Chinese potato, eggplant and pepper stir-fry)
The “three treasures of the earth”: golden potatoes, silky eggplant and green pepper tossed in a glossy garlic soy sauce, a northern Chinese favorite.
- 45 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 2
- About $2.78 a serving
- 860 calories
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 russet potato, large
- 1 eggplant, medium
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, sliced
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- ½ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, divided
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ tsp sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 860 calories, 14 g protein, 125 g carbs and 35 g fat, and costs about $2.78 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No russet potatoes? Yukon Gold potatoes work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it with 1½ cups water and ¼ teaspoon salt in a .
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, turn to low and cook 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the potato and cut it into ½-inch chunks.
Peel. Peeling means removing the skin with a vegetable peeler or a small knife. It takes off tough or bitter skins, though potato and carrot skins are fine to leave on unless the recipe insists.
How you’ll know: The color underneath is even all over, with no patches of skin left behind.
Cut the eggplant into 1-inch chunks and with 1½ tablespoons cornstarch and of salt.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Dolly’s tip: The cornstarch coating soaks up less oil and gives the eggplant a crisp skin.Cut the pepper into chunks.
Stir the soy sauce, sugar, remaining cornstarch and ⅓ cup water together in a cup.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large over medium-high heat.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heat
Fry the potatoes, turning, until and a fork slides in easily, 8 to 10 minutes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 9 min
Move them to a plate.
Add 2 tablespoons oil and fry the eggplant, turning, until and soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Move it to the plate.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 6 min
Add the last tablespoon of oil and the garlic and stir for 15 seconds, then add the pepper and for 1 minute.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
Medium-high heat
Return the potatoes and eggplant, stir the sauce and pour it in.
Medium-high heat
until thick and glossy, about 1 minute.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Medium-high heat
Scatter the green onions over and serve with the rice.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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