Hot and Sour Potato Slivers

Method

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1. Slice the potatoes 2 mm thick, stack the slices and cut them into fine matchsticks.

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2. Rinse them in three changes of cold water until it runs completely clear, then drain and spread them on a cloth to dry.

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3. Heat the wok until smoking and add the oil.

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4. Add the dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns and toast 15 seconds.

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5. Add the garlic and ginger for 10 seconds, then the green pepper for 20 seconds.

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6. Add the potato slivers and toss hard over maximum heat 90 seconds.

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7. Add the 2 tbsp vinegar, the soy sauce, sugar and salt and toss 30 seconds more, until the slivers are just tender but still crunchy.

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8. Off the heat, add the final tablespoon of vinegar, the sesame oil and the spring onions, toss once and serve.

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Chef’s Tips

• Three changes of water until it runs clear.
• Dry them, or the wok will not stay hot enough.
• Ninety seconds. They should still crunch.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the red chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.

Pairing Suggestions

• Steamed rice
• Braised meat
• A cold beer

Storage & Reheating

Best immediately. It loses its crunch within the hour.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.