Heilongjiang Harmony Stir-Fry

1. Prepare the sauce

Whisk together 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 0.5 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, and 0.5 teaspoon of potato starch in a small bowl.

2. Soak the eggplant

Trim the ends off the two small Asian eggplants, then roll-cut them into chunks. Soak the eggplant pieces in a medium bowl of salted water (1 tablespoon salt) for 15 minutes to remove any bitterness. Pat the eggplant pieces dry with a tea towel.

3. Prepare the vegetables

Peel and cut the medium russet potato into even-sized pieces. Cut the small sweet bell pepper into chunks.

4. Fry the potatoes

Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat. Fry the potato pieces for about 6-7 minutes until golden and tender. Remove and drain on paper towels.

5. Fry the eggplant

Increase the temperature of the oil slightly and fry the eggplant pieces for 4 minutes until golden brown. Drain the eggplant on paper towels.

6. Fry the bell pepper

Fry the bell pepper pieces briefly for about 1 minute and drain on paper towels.

7. Strain the oil

Strain the oil from the wok, reserving 1 tablespoon for the next step.

8. Sauté the aromatics

In the now-empty wok, heat the reserved 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped scallions and minced garlic, stirring for about 30 seconds.

9. Add the sauce and vegetables

Pour the sauce mixture into the wok, followed by 0.5 cup of water. Add the fried potatoes and bell peppers, cooking for about 2 minutes until the liquid reduces by half.

10. Fold in the eggplant

Gently fold in the fried eggplants and let everything simmer for 1 minute, ensuring the eggplants are well-coated with the sauce.