Di San Xian (Stir Fried Eggplant, Potato and Pepper, 地三鲜)

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

1. Coat the eggplant with cornstarch right before cooking
2. Pan fry the potatoes until crispy
3. Pan fry the eggplant until golden
4. Gently cook the aromatics
5. Briefly cook the peppers
6. Pour in the sauce
7. Add back the eggplant and potato
8. Stir everything together

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!

More Northeast China Recipes

• Braised Chicken With Mushrooms
• Northern Vegetable Stew
• Kimchi Pork Steamed Buns
• Napa Cabbage Soup with Meatballs

Happy cooking and I hope you enjoy the dish!

Di San Xian (Stir Fried Eggplant, Potato and Pepper, 地三鲜)

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 28 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 to 4

0.5x1x2x3x

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Perfectly charred and crispy potato, eggplant, and pepper stirred with a savory garlicky sticky sauce. A simple veggie dish that makes a satisfying dinner served with a bowl of rice! {Vegan, Gluten-Free Adaptable}

To make the dish gluten-free, use tamari to replace both light and dark soy sauce, and use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine.

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

Sauce

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce (*Footnote 1)
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Stir fry

• 10 oz eggplants (about 1 large Chinese eggplant or 1/2 American eggplant) , chopped into bite size pieces (*Footnote 2)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1/2 lb potato (1 small russet or 2 yukon potatoes) , halved and sliced into 1/4-inch (1/2-cm) pieces
• 1 bell pepper , chopped into bite-size pieces
• 2 green onions , chopped
• 2 cloves garlic , minced

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Instructions

If using regular eggplant:

• Place eggplant into a large bowl and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Add tap water to cover and stir to dissolve the salt. Use a small plate or a lid to cover the eggplant pieces and submerge them in the water. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Drain the eggplant and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Sprinkle with cornstarch and gently mix by hand, until the eggplant pieces are lightly coated.

For the sauce

• Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

To cook the stir fry

• Heat a 12” pan (or a wok) with 1/3 cup oil over medium-high heat until hot. Spread the potato pieces in the pan without overlapping. Cook without moving until the bottom turns golden. Flip to cook the other side, until golden. Transfer the potatoes to a big plate.
• Your pan should still have plenty of oil. Place the eggplant in the pan and spread the pieces without overlapping. Cook the eggplant without moving it until the bottom turns golden brown. If the oil in the pan is fully absorbed by the eggplant before cooking through, add a bit more oil to the pan. Turn to medium heat if the pan starts to smoke. Flip the pieces to cook the other side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate with the potatoes.
• If your pan still has too much oil, carefully remove some of it with a folded paper towel and leave only about 1 teaspoon of oil in the pan. Add the green onion and garlic and stir a few times until fragrant.
• Add the peppers and stir a few times to mix well.
• Mix the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour the sauce into the pan. Stir a few times.
• Return the eggplant and potato to the pan. Cook and stir until the sauce has thickened and evenly coated the vegetables. Transfer everything to a plate.
• Serve hot with steamed rice as a main or as a side.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. Dark soy sauce adds an appetizing dark brown color to the sauce. Regular soy sauce will work just fine but your dish will turn out lighter in color.
2. Regular eggplant contains more liquid and is more difficult to crisp up. You’ll obtain better results if you use Asian eggplant.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 185kcal, Carbohydrates: 15.5g, Protein: 1.9g, Fat: 13.7g, Saturated Fat: 2.3g, Sodium: 375mg, Potassium: 306mg, Fiber: 3.1g, Sugar: 6.2g, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1mg

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