Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes (Suān Là Tǔ Dòu Sī 酸辣土豆丝)
Crisp, finely shredded potatoes stir-fried with Sichuan pepper, dried chilies and garlic, finished with Chinkiang black vinegar. Ready in about 20 minutes.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 500 g potatoes about 1 lb, waxy varieties work best
- 6 dried red chilies cut into pieces
- 1 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
- 2–3 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 1–2 tsp toasted sesame oil optional
- sugar a pinch
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into very thin, even slices.
- Lay the slices flat and cut them into very fine matchsticks.
- Rinse the potato strips twice in water to wash off the starch, then soak them for 10–15 minutes in plenty of cold, lightly salted water.
- Just before cooking, drain the potatoes in a colander, rinse and shake off as much water as possible.
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat, add the Sichuan peppercorns and stir until fragrant (don't let them burn). Scoop out the peppercorns, leaving the oil in the wok.
- Add the chilies and garlic and fry briefly.
- Add the potatoes, turn the heat up high and stir-fry vigorously for about 40 seconds.
- Add the soy sauce, a pinch of sugar, the sesame oil and salt. Toss over medium heat, stir-fry briefly and serve. Add the vinegar right before serving.
Notes
The sesame oil is optional.
For a pepper version (qīng jiāo tǔ dòu sī), skip the chilies and add an equal amount of thinly sliced green or mixed bell peppers along with the potatoes.