地三鲜 (di san xian)

A favorite in northeastern China, di san xian (lit. local three fresh), is a simple but delicious peasant dish made with seasonal vegetables, usually green peppers, eggplant, potatoes and lots of garlic (hence the translation, ratatouille). Disanxian is very quick to prepare and cook (needing 10 minutes total) and provides a substantial alternative to meat-based dishes.

Ingredients (for two)

Sunflower/vegetable oil for deep frying
2 potatoes (100g)
1 Japanese eggplant (long) (100g)
1 green sweet pepper (capsicum) (50g)
6 cloves garlic
1 spring onion (white part)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon chicken salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Method

Peel and cut potatoes into half inch cubes
Cut eggplant in half down the middle and into 1 inch lengths
Cut peppers into 1 inch diamonds
Slice spring onion into thin strips, peel and cut garlic roughly
Heat 1 inch of oil in wok to medium heat
Add potatoes, cook till golden, remove
Add eggplant, cook till golden, remove
Add green pepper, cook briefly (10-20s), remove
Pour out oil, leaving some (about 2 tablespoons)
Add garlic and spring onion, cook till fragrant
Return potatoes, eggplant and peppers to wok
Add soy and chicken salt, turn in wok for a few seconds
Add cornstarch dissolved in about 3 tablespoons water
Mix until sauce thickens and serve

Serve with plain white rice.

When this dish is served it is common for there to be some oil present in the bottom of the dish. Drain vegetables on kitchen paper before returning to wok if this bothers you. To save time, do not remove each vegetable as it is cooked, but instead add potatoes, then after 1 minute add eggplant, then after 2 minutes add peppers and remove together when cooked.

五彩肚丝 (wucai tusi)

Shredded Tripe with Cilantro, Spring Onion, Wood Ear Mushroom and Carrot

by Huangdi @ www.abang.com

As the saying goes“In heaven they eat dragon, on earth we eat donkey” (in reference to its sublime flavour). Rich in nutrients, every 100g of donkey meat contains 18.6g of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphates, iron and many kinds of amino acids essential to the body. Chinese medicine holds that eating donkey meat has two main benefits, namely, “invigorating vital energy and nourishing the blood” in addition to “nourishing the heart and settling the mind”. Possessing a fresh and smooth texture, one might call “five coloured shredded tripe” the pinnacle of (Chinese) cold dish cuisine.

Ingredients: 250g prepared donkey tripe, bunch cilantro, 2 spring onions, ½ cup dry wood ear mushroom, one carrot

Spices: 6 cloves garlic, 3 Tb mature vinegar, 1 Tb sugar, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp chicken essence (or chicken salt), 2 tsp sesame oil

Method:

1. First soak wood ears until soft and rinse.

2. Cut donkey tripe into shreds.

3. Cut cilantro into small segments, then cut spring onion lengthways into fine threads, also cutting wood ears and carrot finely.

4. Peel and crush garlic into pulp and mix together with other ingredients.

5. Add salt, sugar, chicken essence, sesame oil and mature vinegar according to taste, or follow proportions suggested above.

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麻辣土豆片 (mala tudou pianr)

Usually made with thin potato slices, this recipe can be used to liven up shoe string fries as well.

Ingredients

Sunflower/vegetable oil for deep frying
4 medium potatoes
1 tablespoon of dry chilli flakes (or to taste) (dried chilli loses much of its heat in frying)
1 teaspoon Sichuan (Szechuen) Pepper
1 spring onion
Salt to taste

Method

Peel and cut potatoes into slices (about 3mm thick) and rinse off starch
Heat oil to just above moderate (i.e. not smoking hot)
Fry potato until light yellow colour
Add Sichuan pepper and chilli flakes to frying potato (in the hot oil) and reduce heat to medium/low
Continue cooking potato slices until golden
Remove with slotted spoon and let drain (fragrant pepper and chilli should cover each slice)

Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped spring onion, add salt to taste.

This dish varies from restaurant to restaurant, so experiment!

Other popular additions include cilantro garnish, coarse black pepper, whole dried chillis, chilli powder and Szechuen peppercorns (花椒粒, Xanthoxylum seeds).

Note: The term mala translates roughly as “numbing and hot". The heat obviously derives from the chillis, but the “numbing” sensation is caused by the Szechuen pepper. English does not have a word for this sensation because no Western culture uses ma spices in its cooking. If you’re curious, corriander seeds give this sensation when eaten, but be careful, the “taste” is very intense!