Shandong Cuisine · FFET10243
Shredded potato stir-fried in vinegar
Potato cut into fine shreds, rinsed of starch, stir-fried fast and seasoned with vinegar, often with chili and Sichuan pepper.
A round white porcelain plate holds a pile of finely shredded pale yellow potato mixed with red chili, with a thin, clear, glossy coating of vinegar sauce covering the shreds, with wooden chopsticks resting beside the plate.
Represented by the cooking of Jinan and the Jiaodong coast, strong in quick-fire and braising methods, with stock-making as its hallmark.
Vinegar potato shreds consists of finely shredded potatoes, rinsed or soaked to remove starch, quickly stir-fried over high heat and seasoned with vinegar, often with chili and Sichuan pepper. A 2018 article reposted from a WeChat public account discusses the potato's arrival in China and mentions stir-fried potato shreds being common in city restaurants by the 1920s and 1930s. These are retold accounts; no dated record of this dish was found, and its origin remains unestablished.
What
Vinegar potato shreds consists of finely shredded potatoes, rinsed or soaked to remove starch, quickly stir-fried over high heat and seasoned with vinegar; chili and Sichuan pepper are common additions. Vinegar-sauce dishes are a type of liu dish with vinegar or sweet-and-sour seasoning in the sauce.3,4,5
When
A Wanli-era (1573 to 1620) court note mentions a 'tudou,' probably a potato; stir-fried potato shreds were common in city restaurants by the 1920s and 1930s. Wang Shixiang recalled that Changsan, a restaurant near Yenching University, made crisp-fried potato shreds in the 1930s and 1940s. These details come from a 2018 article reposted from a WeChat public account and are retold accounts; no dated record of this dish was found.1
Where
The available material does not establish the dish's origin. A 2019 remark by Zhu Youyong refers to vinegar potato shreds in Beijing; the second recipe is a Sichuan hot-and-sour version with more chili.2,5
How
The 2 recipes differ slightly. The first cuts potatoes into very fine shreds, rinses them 2 times, fries chopped chili for about 30 seconds, adds the potatoes, salt, vinegar and soy sauce, and stir-fries for about 5 minutes. It then raises the heat to reduce the sauce and adds 1 more tablespoon of vinegar and ground Sichuan pepper off the heat. The second soaks the shreds, fries dried chilies and Sichuan pepper, adds garlic, then stir-fries the drained shreds until soft. It adds salt and light soy sauce, finishes with black vinegar, and garnishes with scallion and cilantro.4,5
Why
This is a simple, basic stir-fry. The available material does not explain why the starch is rinsed off or vinegar is added last, so no explanation is inferred here.4,5
Impact and influence
In academician Zhu Youyong's 2019 account, 4 of every 5 plates of vinegar potato shreds in Beijing used potatoes grown in Lancang, Yunnan; Lancang's winter potato project began in 2015 and had its first harvest in April 2017.2
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is the simpler way I make it at home. I drew on two English-language published recipes. The first is a home recipe whose author gives no personal name, and the amounts and steps mostly follow it. The second is by a named author and is the Sichuan hot-and-sour version with more dried chili, Sichuan pepper and black vinegar; I borrowed only the idea of soaking the shreds in water. How far I cook the shreds is my own judgment at home.
Ingredients
- Potatoes, medium 4
- Vegetable oil 2 tablespoons
- Red chili, chopped 1
- Salt 1/4 teaspoon
- Rice vinegar 3 tablespoons in all: 2 in the pan, 1 off the heat
- Light soy sauce 2 tablespoons
- Ground Sichuan pepper 1 teaspoon
Steps
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into very fine shreds.
- Rinse the shreds in cold water twice, as the first recipe does, and drain them well.
- Heat the wok, add the oil and fry the chopped chili for about 30 seconds, the first recipe's timing.
- Add the potato shreds, salt, 2 tablespoons of vinegar and the soy sauce and stir-fry. The first recipe takes about 5 minutes; I taste a shred and stop when it has lost its raw taste and is still crisp to the bite.
- Turn the heat to high and reduce the liquid in the wok.
- Take the wok off the heat, stir in the remaining tablespoon of vinegar and the Sichuan pepper, and serve.
Tips
- After rinsing I drain the shreds very well before they go in the wok, so there is less water in the pan.
- Adding the last tablespoon of vinegar off the heat is the first recipe's method, and I like that the sourness comes through more clearly.
Allergens: soy, wheat