Di San Xian (Braised Potato, Eggplant & Pepper)
Potatoes, eggplant, and green pepper are fried until golden and glazed in a savory sauce — a beloved trio from Northeastern Chinese home cooking.
🧺 Ingredients
- Potato200g
- Eggplant1 (one)
- Green pepper1 (one)
- Minced garlic8g
- Light soy sauce10ml
- Sugar8g
- Cornstarch5g
- Cooking oil40ml
👩🍳 Steps
- 1Cut the potato and eggplant into rough wedge-shaped chunks (roll-cut), and cut the green pepper into pieces.
- 2Mix the light soy sauce, sugar, salt, cornstarch, and water into a sauce.
- 3Heat a generous amount of oil and fry the potato and eggplant chunks separately until lightly golden; remove.
- 4Leave a little oil in the pan, sizzle the minced garlic until fragrant, then add the green pepper and stir-fry briefly.
- 5Add the fried potato and eggplant back in and stir-fry until combined.
- 6Pour in the sauce and toss quickly until it thickens and coats everything; serve.
📊 Nutrition
| Protein | 6g |
| Iron | 1.5mg |
| Calcium | 40mg |
| Fiber | 6g |
Introduction
Potato, eggplant, and green pepper form a classic trio in Northeastern Chinese home cooking. Each vegetable is fried in oil until lightly golden, then stir-fried together and finished with a glossy, savory sauce — the result is rich, comforting, and endlessly good over rice. It's a signature dish at many restaurants specializing in Northeastern cuisine. Despite the fancy-sounding name ("three fresh treasures of the earth"), it isn't complicated to make — you'll just need extra oil for the frying step. The finished dish is soft and deeply flavorful, with the potatoes soaking up all the sauce and eggplant juices.
Nutrition Highlights
- Potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates and potassium, making them an important source of energy
- Eggplant skin is packed with anthocyanins and other antioxidants, so it's best cooked with the skin left on
- Green pepper adds vitamin C along with a refreshing, slightly peppery aroma
- The combination of three different vegetables gives the dish a broader range of dietary fiber and minerals
Tips
- Pat the potato and eggplant chunks as dry as possible before frying to reduce oil splatter
- Don't over-fry — pull the pieces out once the surface turns lightly golden and just cooked through, to preserve more nutrients
- Mix the sauce (light soy sauce, sugar, salt, cornstarch, and water) ahead of time so it thickens quickly and coats everything evenly once added
