Chinese homestyle spicy and sour shredded potato

Like the stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, spicy and sour shredded potato (酸辣土豆丝 suān là tǔ dòu sī) is also a simple and popular home-style dish. Different from french fries, roasted potatoes, or mushy potato stew, the potato in this dish has a crunchy texture and is not greasy.

After cutting the potato into thin slices, make sure to soak them in cold water to remove extra starch. Quickly stir fry the potato slices with all other ingredients over high heat so the potatoes don’t stick together or break apart. A crispy texture results.

The potato on Chinese dining tables is mostly mixed with savory vegetable dishes and served with rice. I made some fried rice this time, and they taste great together.

YIELD

Serves 2

TIME

20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large potato
• 2 tablespoons vegetable cooking oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
• 2 dried chili peppers, shredded
• 2 green peppers, shredded
• 1 slice ginger, shredded
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 green onion, chopped, white and green part separated
• 3 teaspoons vinegar
• 1+1/2 teaspoons salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the potato, peel the skin, and cut into thin slices of similar size.
2. Soak in cold water to remove extra starch. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1/4 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorn and give it a quick fry to let the aroma out. Discard the peppercorn if you prefer.
4. Add dried chili peppers, green peppers, ginger, garlic, and the white part of the green onion; stir fry to allow the fragrance to come out.
5. Add potato slices, 3 teaspoons of vinegar, and 1+1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir constantly until the slices become translucent.
6. Garnish with the green part of the green onion.
7. Serve immediately.

The China Project Eats is a weekly column.