Stir fried Potato Strands Tǔdòu sī 土豆丝

Tǔdòu sī  土豆丝  Stir fried Potato Strands

Areas around China are known for their potato crops (like Idaho), e.g. Dingxi in Gansu Province and in banquets you can sometimes be served whole steamed potatoes to be eaten as they are and savoured. The Chinese also have a novel method of cooking finely shredded potato (“Si” in this case means finely cut strands) and then serving them slightly undercooked, still with a crunchy texture,  either hot or cold dishes, which seems strange to Western tastes but is delicious. Tǔdòu sī is potato, finely shredded, then quickly stir fried with spices and black vinegar. It should taste spicy and tangy with the potatoes still retaining a bite.

I've tweaked this recipe a little as I've found that having green chilli slices rather than dried chillies improves the flavour, however do adapt this to your taste. 

Serves 2 as a side    

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium sized potatoes, very finely cut

1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

1 or 2 medium sized green chillies (e.g. depending on how hot they are), deseeded and sliced into long thin strips

2 tbsp chinkiang black rice vinegar (add 1 tbsp first, then gradually add more to taste if needed)

¼ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

Slice the potatoes by hand or using a mandolin. 

Rinsing the potato strips and then adding them to the wok means they steam slightly and don't stick together as the starch has been rinsed away. The green chilli adds a nice flavour as well as heat.

Heat a wok/large cast iron skillet on high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan, fry the peppercorns and chillies for about 1 minute, until the peppercorns are fragrant, stirring rapidly to prevent burning. Add the potatoes, vinegar, sugar and salt, tossing with metal spatula/utensil to keep the potatoes moving in the pan. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes, if the potatoes start sticking, add a little water. Add the garlic and toss for another minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Test one piece of potato. It should retain a bite to it.