Tǔdòu sī 土豆丝 Stir fried Potato Strands
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
2 medium sized potatoes, very finely cut
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
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.
This sounds very interesting. I've never heard of this way of cooking potatoes before and wasn't even aware you could eat potatoes undercooked. Well you learn something every day. Does it take a long time to chop these potatoes so finely? I wonder if my blunt knife is up to the job!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't take too long but I'd definitely recommend a sharp knife! I bought a cheap mandolin in TK Maxx. The potatoes are what we would consider 3/4 cooked; I guess they are cooked like other chinese stir fried vegetables, i.e. the vegetables still have a bit of a crunch. :)
ReplyDelete