Di San Xian (Fried Potato, Eggplant and Green Pepper in Garlic Sauce)

Wash the potato, eggplant and peppers and peel the potato. Cut the potato and eggplant into irregular pieces of about 15 g, and tear the peppers along the grain into pieces about 25% larger. Dry the peppers well with kitchen paper or air them for half an hour so they do not spit in the oil.

Cut 5 g scallion into 0.5 cm sections, mince 15 g garlic and divide it into two portions of 7.5 g, and mince 5 g ginger.

In an empty bowl mix 10 ml light soy sauce, 10 g sugar, 8 g starch and 80 ml water until smooth. This is the sauce bowl.

Heat 150 ml oil in a pan, add the potato and fry 3–4 minutes until golden and a chopstick passes easily through. Lift it out and leave the oil.

Add the eggplant and fry 2–3 minutes until about 70% done: soft, with slightly charred edges and its excess oil released. Lift it out and leave the oil.

If there is no flowing oil left, add 15 ml oil. Add the peppers and fry about 15 seconds until the edges blister, then lift them out at once and pour the oil out. Hold a lid in front of you as a shield when the peppers go in.

Heat the pan again with 15 ml fresh oil. Add 5 g scallion, 5 g ginger and 7.5 g garlic and fry on medium-low heat until fragrant, then add 15 ml doubanjiang, turn to low and fry until the oil is red.

Pour in the sauce bowl, turn to high heat at once and stir fast so it does not scorch; in about 10 seconds it bubbles and thickens.

Add the potato, eggplant and peppers right away and toss for 20 seconds so the sauce coats everything. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with the other 7.5 g garlic, toss, and serve.