Di San Xian

Di san xian (dì sān xiān, 'three fresh from the earth') is the most ordered vegetable dish of northeastern China (dongbei) and has become one of the most widely served home-cooking staples at Chinese restaurants nationally. The dish's endurance is logical: three vegetables that ripen together in the northeastern summer — aubergine, potato and green pepper — are combined in a preparation that produces a satisfying, textured result from straightforward ingredients.

Each vegetable is treated separately before combination. Aubergine (cut into irregular chunks) is deep-fried or pan-fried in generous oil until the exterior has coloured and the interior has softened, becoming silky and oil-saturated. Potato (cut to roughly the same size) is fried until the surface has set and lightly crisped. Green pepper is added last, fried briefly to retain some crunch and fresh flavour. The three are then combined in the wok with garlic, soy sauce, a little oyster sauce or hoisin, sugar and a starch-thickened broth that coats everything in a glossy, slightly sticky sauce.

The result is a warm, hearty, slightly sweet-savoury dish: the aubergine silky and oil-rich, the potato providing starchy body, the green pepper cutting through with freshness. It is eaten with plain steamed rice. The preparation requires more oil than most Western vegetable preparations — the aubergine especially demands it, and attempts to reduce the oil produce a noticeably inferior texture.

Despite being vegetarian by primary ingredients, traditional recipes often include lard or oyster sauce in the seasoning stage. Those with strict dietary requirements should confirm at the restaurant — asking for chúnsù (strict vegetarian) or specifying 'no oyster sauce, no lard' is specific enough.