This is a simple home-style Northern Chinese dish, one my dad requests all the time. The Chinese name, 地三鲜, literally translates to “three delights from the earth”— referring to the potato, eggplant, and pepper, a humble trio of vegetables that’s available year round, even in the cold winters.
For best results, first soak the eggplant in salted water, and then toss it in cornstarch— this ensures it’ll stays nice and crispy when frying.
In the wok, add vegetables according to their cooking time: potatoes first (they take the longest), followed by the eggplant, bell pepper, and the aromatics (scallion and garlic). At the end, the vegetables all go back into the pan along with the sauce ingredients. Give everything a toss and it’s ready to serve over rice.
If you made this eggplant dish or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and a rating below! Also be sure to follow along on Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest recipes.
Print📖 Recipe
Stir-Fried Eggplant, Potato, and Pepper (Di San Xian 地三鲜)
A delicious Chinese stir-fry of eggplant, potato, and bell pepper, tossed in a wok with garlic, scallion, and soy sauce.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 2 long Chinese eggplants
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 large potato, peeled
- 1 bell pepper (I used half green and half red)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 scallions, sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Cut eggplants into angled, bite-sized pieces, about 1-inch in width. Soak in slightly salted water for 10 minutes, then pat dry to remove excess moisture. In the meantime, cut potato and bell pepper into similar bite-sized pieces. Combine Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil in a small bowl.
- Toss eggplant pieces in a bowl with 2 tablespoon cornstarch until coated. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium-high heat, add potatoes, and fry until browned and cooked through, around 7-8 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook for 1 more minute, then remove both from pan.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the coated eggplant pieces to the wok, frying until well-cooked, around 3-4 minutes. Remove from wok. Finally, add the chopped scallion and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add all vegetables back to the wok. Give sauce mixture a stir and add to the wok as well, stirring until vegetables are well coated. Serve hot over rice.
Notes
- Substitute tamari for soy sauce to ensure gluten-free.
- You can use any kind of heat-tolerant cooking oil; I prefer grapeseed or avocado oil.
Wanda says
Hello
I made this dish today, and was pleased with the out come. Next time i will try to follow the directions more closely. I dont have a wok, and we have a electric stove. But it taste good to me. I will try other recipes that you post! Thanks so much!!
Hannah says
Yay I’m so glad! Thanks for sharing!
Restaurant Clicks says
You should seriously blog daily. This is awesome. I love reading this kind of content.
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Kesya Z says
I want to make this but I don’t have chinese eggplant, which I love and are a little different than the regular eggplant. Can I substitute, and is there anything I would need to do, because the skin on the Chinese eggplant are much thinner than the others. Thank you!
Hannah says
Hi! yes, it’s true Chinese eggplant tastes better bc of the thin skin, but you can definitely substitute other eggplant varieties! I recommend graffiti eggplant (the striped kind) but globe will work as well— just be sure to cut it into small enough pieces and let soak in salted water beforehand.
Sara says
Made this tonight, was so tasty and quick to make too. I didn’t have any potatoes so substituted mushrooms, which still worked well. Going to try the pumpkin curry tomorrow. Thanks Hannah, and I love your website, it’s beautiful. I’ve asked for your cookbook for my birthday present next month after making this 🙂
★★★★★