Dry-Pot Potatoes
干锅土豆片
Before I moved to China I was very worried about potatoes. In every Chinese meal I’d ever eaten in the UK, the humble tuber was nowhere to be found. Could it be that potatoes were only used in Western cooking? God, what a bleak existence life would be without the comfort of an occasional potato. But I was quite wrong; potatoes do crop up in Chinese cooking now and again, especially in the North.
Every trip we take back to Europe, I realise more and more that the West is potato-obsessed. After meal three, I can’t look at another plate of fries, mash or roasts. In China, the potato is not considered a ‘staple food’ (主食) like rice, noodles or bread and so is not as common of the dinner table. Nonetheless, the Chinese know exactly what to do with a few spuds. In restaurants, Dry-Pot Potatoes are usually served in an iron pot over a flame on the table; the longer you leave them, the more caramelised and sticky they become.
Chefs are adamant that this dish doesn’t taste as good cooked in a non-stick pan, as you lose the ‘breath of the wok’ (wok hei) - the unique flavour that a seasoned hot iron wok can impart. Indeed, the secret to this dish is to leave the potato slices undisturbed in the pan until they start to colour nicely and don’t overcrowd the pan.
I often make this without the pork belly and it’s still great, so you can keep it vegetarian or not, completely up to you.
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes (about 500g-600g)
200g pork belly (optional)
4 spring onion (white part only) - sliced diagonally
1 spring onion (green part only) - chopped
1 heaped teaspoon Pixian bean paste
4 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon dark Chinese vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Oil for frying
Method
Prepare all the ingredients: Peel the potatoes and then slice into thin slices about 4mm, slice the pork belly into thin squares and then separate the green part of the onion from the white. Slice the white on the diagonal, and then chop the green and set both aside.
Boil a pan or wok of salted water on a medium heat, then boil the potatoes for a minute until par-boiled. Don’t overcook them. You want them to still be firm so they can hold their shape.
Heat a wok or pan with a about five tablespoons of oil over a medium heat.
Shallow fry the potato slices in batches, on both sides until lightly brown then remove.
Heat the wok again and add add 1-2 tablespoons of oil over a medium heat. If using, fry the pork belly until it releases the fat and browns.
Once the oil or the pork fat is hot, add the white parts of the spring onion and the bean paste. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Add the potatoes and fry. It’s better do this in a couple of batches, unless your wok or frying pan is very large. Resist moving the potatoes too much. Just turn them over once then remove when browned. The beauty of this dish is that some of the slices are super crispy, and some are soft and oily, so don’t worry about complete uniformity.
Once the potatoes are browned, add them all back to the wok or pan, add in the garlic and toss for about 1 minute on the heat, then pour in the soy sauce and vinegar. After 20 seconds or so, remove from the heat and into a bowl.
To serve, garnish with the green onion and sesame seeds.
