Before sharing with a child, confirm that mild, non-hot peppers are used. Serve the soft potato and eggplant in small cooled pieces with rice, and check for any firmer eggplant skin.
Recipes vary. Ask the restaurant about ingredients and serving before you order.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Some versions use green and red peppers with soy sauce, cooking wine and starch in the sauce. Heat depends on the peppers.
Typical ingredients
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Savory and garlicky
- Chili heat
- Heat not recorded
- Texture
- Tender vegetables with a light sauce.
- How it’s made
- Fry potato and eggplant separately; stir-fry with peppers and sauce.
Some versions use green and red peppers with soy sauce, cooking wine and starch in the sauce. Heat depends on the peppers.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Heilongjiang. Associated with Beijing.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有地三鲜吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Two food traditions share the name “three fresh”
Di san xian is a Northeastern home-style dish made with eggplant, potato and green pepper. Its name means “three fresh ingredients from the earth,” a phrase also used in a Lixia custom of tasting seasonal foods at the start of summer. One version of that seasonal trio combines fava beans, garlic scapes and amaranth; ingredients differ by region. Today’s potato-and-eggplant dish and the seasonal custom share a name, but a direct historical line between them remains uncertain.