Chinese stir fried potato with mountain pepper - Chinese Cuisine

When I travelled through China, I ate stir-fried potato with Sichuan pepper and adored it. This is a variation of that classic dish, using local potatoes and indigenous mountain pepper, also known as native pepperberry, and I think it’s just as good. If you like a bit of extra heat, add a little sliced fresh red chilli to the wok with the pepperberries.

Ingredients



3 large Dutch Cream or Nicola potatoes, peeled

1 tbsp fresh native pepperberries

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

1 tsp sea salt

80 ml (⅓ cup) grape seed oil or peanut oil

1 tbsp black Chinese vinegar, or to taste

Cook's notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.



Instructions



Using a mandolin, cut the potatoes into thin slices. Lay 4-5 slices of potato on top of each other and cut into matchsticks. If you don’t have a mandolin, use a large sharp knife instead, but it’s best to take your time to try to get even-sized strips of potato, so they all cook evenly once in the wok.



Lightly crush the pepperberries with the peppercorns and salt in a mortar and pestle.



Heat a wok over a super turbo flame, then add the oil and leave to get very, very hot. Add the crushed pepperberry mixture and fry for 10 seconds or until fragrant, then add the potatoes and continue to toss for 2-3 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Taste, and add more salt if need be, then add the vinegar, or to taste. Toss once more to combine and serve immediately.



 Note



• Native pepperberries are available from specialist food stores.