Earth Three Fresh : Potato, Eggplant and Green Pepper

Earth Three Fresh (地三鲜) is the name of the simple but hearty Northeastern dish composed of three earthy vegetables : potatoes, eggplants, and green peppers. 

Method

Heat up a good amount of oil in a pan on high and drop in chopped scallions. 

Cut two peeled potatoes into small (1/4" x 1") pieces and toss them in and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Cut 4 long green peppers in half lengthwise and then into slices about as long as the potatoes and toss them in. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Cut two Japanese eggplants into potato sized pieces and toss them in. Stir it up to coat the eggplants in oil. 

Add about a quarter cup of soy sauce to a more empty part of the pan and stir. If you want to use less soy sauce, add a little water. Cover with a lid and let it steam for 5 minutes on medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally. It's ready when the potatoes are done.

Notes

The northeastern region of China is known for hearty and simple dishes with bold flavors. It's perfect for a region with brutally cold winters. 

Earth Three Fresh typically consists of frying pieces of potatoes, then eggplant, then bell peppers, followed by stir frying them together with soy sauce added at the end. The potato is soft on the inside but slightly crispy outside. 

I try to avoid frying whenever possible because its not super healthy and I don't like using that much oil. A lot of the time, its not even necessary. Here, I sear and stir fry the vegetables, particularly the potatoes, then steam them in soy sauce. This requires a fair amount of oil, but no more than what a restaurant normally uses for stir fries and certainly less than deep-frying. The result is equally delicious and definitely tastes hearty.

Simple as this dish is, a lot can go wrong if not enough care is given. If the potatoes are sliced too big, they'll take a long time to cook. Sliced too small, they'll turn to mush during the steaming process. Err on the side of small (no bigger than half your thumb). The potatoes mustn't be under or overcooked. That is key.

Bell peppers are traditionally used and seen in a lot of recipes, but I prefer long green peppers because they exude less water and taste better (to me).  I removed the seeds because I didn't want this dish to be spicy and seedy. You also do that with bell peppers. They're also fine when slightly overcooked.

Use only Japanese eggplants. They're long and purple skinned. You can (and should) keep the skin on when cooking it. The skin keeps it from prematurely turning into mush while cooking and you get another nice texture. The flesh is light and soaks up a lot of flavors and oil over time so that's why it's added last.

As for soy sauce, any light soy sauce will do. I've been almost exclusively using Trader Joes soy sauce, which has vinegar according to the ingredients list. It tastes like it could be used for sushi dipping and (hate to say it) tastes better than the Pearl River Bridge that I've grown up with and used for many years. Of course, Pearl River Bridge works just well here, too.