Spicy Sichuan Potato Strips 川味土豆丝

I never really like potatoes as a kid - all bland and mushy - I would push them around my plate in the hope they would somehow appear smaller and I would be let down from the table.  Sadly it never worked.

It wasn't until I landed in China that my love for the ol' potato finally blossomed. Having never really associated potatoes with Chinese cooking, I was surprised to find them everywhere, cooked in all sorts of ways I'd never seen before.  One of my definite favourites probably looks the least like the potato I was used to - stir fried potato strips.   Below is a concoction I made this evening - won't be pushing this around my plate!

Spicy Sichuan Potato Strips  川味土豆丝


Ingredients:

1 large potato
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
3 dried whole chilies
1 tsp Sichuan Pepper Corns
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
A good few splashes of Sichuan Pepper Oil
1 spring onion, chopped
Oil for frying

Method:

Slice the potato into very thin strips and rinse off the starch.

Heat a good bit of oil in a wok until hot and add the dried chillies, pepper corns, then the garlic.

Fry until fragrant before adding the soy sauce, salt, sugar and pepper oil.

Add the potato strips and coat with the spicy mixture.  Cover with a lid and leave for a few minutes.

Take off the lid and stir.  Test a potato slice to make sure it has cooked through.  If not, put the lid on again for a few minutes and test again.

Once the potatoes have cooked through, sprinkle a little more pepper oil, adjust seasoning if needed and garnish with spring onion.

Eat with rice.  Num num.