A Chinese potato stir-fry featuring slightly crisp yet tender strips of golden potato infused with the flavors of dried red chilis, Sichuan pepper (hua jiao), and fresh green peppers is a simple and exciting way to prepare potatoes.
In our last post we shared with you a recipe for Chinese potato salad with chili crisps and we promised those of you that like your potatoes piping hot instead of salad temperature that we would share a hot potato stir-fry recipe. This Chinese potato stir-fry (qing jiao tu dou si 青椒土豆丝) recipe is for you!
The recipe we are sharing today has several versions and in the future we will share different variations. Are you are starting to get the picture, we can’t get enough of shredded potatoes!
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How Potatoes are Prepared in China
In China, potatoes are often shredded, stir-fried, and eaten with rice just as any other vegetable. Adding Sichuan pepper (hua jiao) and red chili peppers is common in Sichuan. While shredding and stir-frying, or blanching, potatoes is popular, there are also versions of mashed (pounded to be exact) and fried potatoes that many Westerners would find familiar, although with Chinese style seasonings of course - we will cover some of these later. They are also used in braised meat dishes (slightly similar to beef stew with potatoes).
If you’ve never had shredded potatoes that are slightly crisp and tender then you are in for a treat. After trying them we think this will be another style of potato that is added to your potato repertoire.
The Best Type of Potato for Chinese Potato Stir-fries
A little bit about potato types before we get started. Generally, waxy or all-purpose potatoes (Yukon Gold) are best, compared to floury baking varieties (russet). Waxy and all purpose potatoes are lower in starch and higher in water content which helps their cells to stay intact when they are cooked. This results in the perfect texture for our spicy potato salad!
We prefer any type of yellow potato, which can be considered waxy or all-purpose depending on the variety. It is best to buy the largest waxy potatoes you can find because they will be easier to cut into slivers.
What You'll Need
Here is everything you'll need.
- Waxy or all-purpose potatoes. We prefer yellow potatoes such as Yukon Gold.
- Whole dried red Chili peppers - Sichuan varieties, such as er jing tiao, Xiao mi la, Chao tian jiao are the best choice. Sichuan chili peppers have more depth of flavor while providing medium to high heat depending on the variety. The xiao mi la chili is on the hotter side while er jing tiao provides medium heat. These varieties can be found online at the Mala Market. Your local Asian market will stock dried Sichuan chilis, but usually the ones they import to the US are not the most recent harvest and are starting to reflect this in their faded appearance. Before finding the Mala Market though we used them for many years and produced flavorful Chinese dishes. You can also buy Sichuan chilis on Amazon. Dried red Sichuan chili peppers are not to be confused with Sichuan peppercorns (hua jiao) below.
- Sichuan pepper (hua jiao) – Hua jiao is a spice (a berry to be exact) commonly used in Sichuan cuisine. It grows on spiky shrubs which can shred the hands of those who pick it. It is grown in other regions as well, but the varieties that come out of Sichuan are renowned. For novices, one of the first things you will notice when eating hua jiao is a pleasant tingling numbing effect. This is due to a molecule called sanshool. Like many of the dry ingredients in our recipes, these can be purchased on Amazon, or for the best quality, order from The Mala Market.
- Fresh green pepper - You can use any variety of green pepper that you have available. We prefer green long hot peppers, but they are sometimes hard to find, so we also use Korean hot peppers, and Anaheim peppers (which are everywhere and what we are cooking with in this recipe). You can use bell pepper as well.
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make It
Peel the potatoes and then cut into as thin a slices as possible. Lay the potato slices on their side and cut the slices into thin matchstick slivers. You can also use a mandoline, but to be honest we are a little wary of mandolines and prefer to use our Chinese vegetable cleaver (caidao). There is an awesome video by YouTube star Chef Wang that shows the Chinese style of cutting potato slivers.
The next two steps are important because if the excess starch is not removed before cooking, the potatoes will clump and will stick to the wok and will not remain crispy.
Place all of the potato slivers into a bowl and soak in water for 5 - 10 minutes.
Next, rinse the potato slivers thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear and is no longer cloudy/starchy. Allow the potatoes to drain thoroughly so when you add them to the wok they will not contain excess water.
Snip your dried red chilis into small sections. The smaller you cut them the more heat they will add. If you want mild heat you can leave them whole.
Slice the green pepper into ⅛ to ¼ inch sections depending on your preference.
Heat your wok or heavy pan on medium high heat. Once hot, add the vegetable oil.
Tip: Adding oil to a hot wok increases the non-stick properties as opposed to adding oil to a cold wok/pan.
Add the dried red chilis and sichuan pepper and stir-fry about 30 seconds to one minute - long enough to let the flavor start to infuse into the oil but not so long that the peppers start to scorch.
Add the potato slivers and green peppers and stir-fry on high heat. Continuously move them around the wok so that the potatoes do not stick.
Stir-fry about 2 minutes and then add the salt. Stir-fry for 1 - 2 minutes more until the potato slivers are soft on the outside and slightly crisp in the middle.
Plate and serve piping hot!
Variations
There are numerous variations to this dish. The one we are sharing today keeps it simple and keeps the flavors of Sichuan dried red chilis and Sichuan pepper (hua jiao) at the forefront. In the future we will post more shredded potato recipes featuring some of the ingredients below. You can experiment with any combination of these ingredients.
- Chinese black vinegar – add about a half a tablespoon of vinegar in the last minute of cooking. We prefer Zhenjiang or Baoning vinegar. Zhenjiang vinegar is readily available at many Asian markets. You can buy it at Amazon, but it costs about three times as much as it should. Alternatively, you can buy Sichuan Baoning vinegar from the Mala Market. This is a premium aged vinegar that is worth the price! Baoning vinegar does not contain added salt or sugar, which gives it a lighter flavor than Zhenjiang vinegar. It is a good choice when you have a recipe that already uses soy sauce which has a lot of sodium.
- Garlic - slice or mince and add to the hot oil about 30 seconds before adding the shredded potatoes.
- Scallions - slice and add to the hot oil about 30 seconds before adding the shredded potatoes.
Equipment
- A Chinese vegetable cleaver or mandoline for cutting the potatoes into thin matchsticks.
- A wok or another heavy bottom pan that has the ability to get pipping hot is best. Stir-frying the potatoes over high heat helps them to achieve the perfect crispy yet tender texture. If your pan has a tendency to stick, you can use a non-stick pan, you just might have to cook them a little longer at a lower temperature - they will still taste yummy though!
Storage
You can store stir-fried potatoes in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, but as usual, they are best eaten immediately after cooking.
Top tip
If you prefer your potatoes softer, stir-fry an additional 1 - 2 minutes until your desired tenderness is achieved.
If you do not want whole Sichuan peppers (hua jiao) mixed in with the potatoes in your final dish, you can use a mesh skimmer to remove them from the oil before adding the potatoes to the wok. Alternatively, you can use ground Sichuan pepper. We do not mind eating the occasional whole Sichuan pepper here or there (Mark actually enjoys it!), but if you are not used to it, the tingling effect may be too intense (especially if you bought them from the Mala Market).
📖 Recipe
Chinese Potato Stir-fry with Chilis and Green Peppers
Ingredients
See full description above for more details on the ingredients used.
- 2 medium waxy or all-purpose potatoes. We prefer yellow potatoes such as Yukon Gold.
- 4 or 5 Whole dried red chili peppers (6 grams / .20 ounces) Sichuan varieties are best and can be found online at the Mala Market, at your local Asian market, or on Amazon
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper (hua jiao) - about 2 grams These can be purchased on Amazon, or for the best quality, order from The Mala Market.
- 1 Fresh green pepper You can use any variety of green pepper that you have available. We are using Anaheim in this recipe.
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and then cut into as thin a slices as possible. Lay the potato slices on their side and cut the slices into thin matchstick slivers. You can also use a mandoline if you prefer.2 medium waxy or all-purpose potatoes.
- Place all of the potato slivers into a bowl and soak in water for 5 - 10 minutes.2 medium waxy or all-purpose potatoes.
- Next, rinse the potato slivers thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear and is no longer cloudy/starchy. Allow the potatoes to drain thoroughly so when you add them to the wok they will not contain excess water.2 medium waxy or all-purpose potatoes.
- Snip your dried red chilis into small sections. The smaller you cut them the more heat they will add. If you want mild heat you can leave them whole.4 or 5 Whole dried red chili peppers (6 grams / .20 ounces)
- Slice the green pepper into ⅛ to ¼ inch sections depending on your preference.1 Fresh green pepper
- Heat your wok or heavy pan on medium high heat. Once hot, add the vegetable oil. Adding oil after the pan is heated increases the non-stick properties.2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- Add the dried red chilis and sichuan pepper and stir-fry about 30 seconds to one minute - long enough to let the flavor start to infuse into the oil but not so long that the peppers start to scorch.4 or 5 Whole dried red chili peppers (6 grams / .20 ounces), 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper (hua jiao) - about 2 grams
- Add the potato slivers and green peppers and stir-fry on high heat. Continuously move them around the wok so that the potatoes do not stick.2 medium waxy or all-purpose potatoes., 1 Fresh green pepper
- Stir-fry about 2 minutes and then add the salt. Stir-fry for 1 - 2 minutes more until the potato slivers are soft on the outside and slightly crisp in the middle. Plate and serve piping hot!½ teaspoon Salt
Notes
- If you prefer your potatoes softer, stir-fry an additional 1 - 2 minutes until your desired tenderness is achieved.
- If you do not want whole Sichuan peppers (hua jiao) mixed in with the potatoes in your final dish, you can use a mesh skimmer to remove them from the oil before adding the potatoes to the wok. Alternatively, you can use ground Sichuan pepper. We do not mind eating the occasional whole Sichuan pepper here or there (Mark actually enjoys it!), but if you are not used to it, the tingling effect may be too intense (especially if you bought them from the Mala Market).
- Soaking and rinsing the potatoes before cooking removes excess starch which helps the potatoes retain their slightly crispy texture and helps prevent them from sticking to the wok/pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition disclaimer
malaeats.com is created for informational purposes only. Although we do our best to provide nutritional information to our readers as a general guideline, we are not certified nutritionists and the nutritional values provided should be considered estimates. Numerous factors such as variations in fresh ingredients, brands purchased, etc. will alter the nutritional values in any recipe. Different online calculators also provide different results depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, please use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities you used.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods (less than 2 hours is recommended by the CDC).
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
See more guidelines at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention website.
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