Di Si Xian Four Earthly Treasures Recipe, by Anna Ansari
by Anna Ansari
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Easy
Di san xian: three treasures from the earth. Aubergine. Pepper. Potato. A warming delight on a cold winter’s night, and a mainstay on Chinese menus and tables across the world, this hearty, comforting, typical northern Chinese dish made its way to my dinner table when I was a teen in Beijing more times than I can count. Here, I have added tofu to round out the dish, making it a one-wok dinner ready in under 30 minutes.
This dish also underscores the fluency with which once-foreign foodstuffs can be incorporated into and reinterpreted by a new cultural/culinary lexicon. Whereas aubergine has been present in Chinese cuisine since the start of the Common Era, peppers and potatoes are relatively new imports, products of the Columbian Exchange – the global spread of (among other things) plants, seeds, and crops from the Americas to the rest of the world that began in the late 15th century following Christopher Columbus’ infamous 1492 voyage. Its roots may be in the Americas, global trade, and colonialism, but this is a Chinese dish, through and through, while simultaneously an example of the interconnectedness of foods and flavours across geography and time. Plus now with tofu, a fourth earthly treasure – as I’m sure the Buddhists of yore would agree.
My six-year-old certainly does (and I hope you do too). Note: This recipe calls for a delicious fermented chilli bean paste – doubanjiang – which you should be able to source at major grocery stores these days. Though it packs a heat, doubanjiang’s spice does not overwhelm, and here it lends the dish a beautiful tinge of spicy umami. If you shy away from spice, please just omit it.
Ingredient for Di Si Xian Four Earthly Treasures Recipe
- 1 aubergine, cut into 2.5cm chunks
- 3½ tsp fine sea salt
- 240ml plus 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 potatoes (about 270g), well washed or peeled and roughly chopped into 2.5cm chunks
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp doubanjiang
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 tsp caster or granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- 280g firm tofu, drained and cut into 2.5cm chunks
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 peppers (colour of your choosing), cut into 2.5cm chunks
- 3 spring onions, chopped
How to make Di Si Xian Four Earthly Treasures Recipe
- Tip the aubergine chunks into a bowl and cover with cold water. Add 2 teaspoons of the salt and leave to soak for 20 minutes. You may need to put a plate on top of the aubergine to keep everything submerged in the water.
- Heat the 240ml of oil in a wok or large sauté pan over a medium heat, swirling the oil around to coat the base of the wok. Once hot, add the potatoes and fry for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides.
- While the aubergine soaks and your potatoes fry, make your sauce. In a small bowl, combine the two soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, doubanjiang, white pepper, and sugar, along with ½ teaspoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the cornflour. Stir to dissolve the cornflour best as you can.
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Once your potatoes are ready and nicely browned, use a slotted spoon/spatula to remove them from the wok and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Turn off the
heat but keep the oil in the wok, ready. -
After their soaking time is up, drain the aubergine pieces and rinse them under cold water. Dry thoroughly with paper towels and then toss in a medium bowl with the
remaining 3 tablespoons cornflour. - Return the wok to a medium–high heat, and add the aubergine pieces. Fry for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove the aubergine from the pan with your slotted spoon/ spatula, and set aside on the plate with the potatoes.
- Discard the leftover oil, then add 1 tablespoon fresh oil to the wok. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu, garlic, and peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until the peppers begin to char at their edges. Return the potatoes and aubergine to the wok, and stir everything together to mix.
- Grab your bowl of sauce. Stir it to make sure the cornflour is fully dissolved, then add the sauce to the wok, along with the spring onions and the final teaspoon of salt. for Stir together and cook everything 30 seconds, then serve.
- Three treasures of the earth, plus tofu, on your dinner table.
About the author
Anna Ansari has a background in Asian studies, with a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MA from Yale University. Her writing focuses on the intersection of food, family, and history, with special attention to the immigrant experience and foods of the Asian continent.
