Mapo Potatoes

Mapo Potatoes are a homestyle dish from Chongqing, cooked in the same Sichuan/Chongqing red-braised method as Mapo Tofu. China’s most famous “red-braise” cooking method is from Shanghai, and uses sugar, wine, and dark soy sauce. Chongqing’s “red-braise” cooking method uses Pixian broad bean sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, ginger.

At first glance, Mapo Potatoes sound like a western fusion fantasy, especially since this dish doesn’t show up in Sichuan/Chongqing restaurants. This is because Mapo Potatoes are a humble homestyle food. My good friend JiongXia from Chongqing often cooked these Mapo Potatoes when we cooked together in Nanjing. I learned the technique from her.

If you know how to cook mapo tofu, the cooking method is very similar, except that it braises longer so the potatoes slowly soften while absorbing flavor. My friend slices the potatoes about half an inch thick. If cut thicker, they will take longer to cook through. If cut thinner, the potatoes will fall apart. Serve with white rice and pair with other Chinese stir-fried dishes such as garlicky greens or gan-bian green beans.

Mapo Potatoes

Mapo Potatoes are a homestyle dish from Chongqing, cooked in the same Sichuan/Chongqing red-braised method as Mapo Tofu.

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Ingredients

  

• 1 kg waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
• 2-3 tablespoons light oil
• 6 fat cloves garlic
• an equal amount of ginger
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns (hua jiao)
• 3 tablespoons Pixian broadbean sauce (doubanjiang)
• 2 teaspoons fermented black beans
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water or veg broth
• 1-2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup cold water
• 1-2 scallions for garnish

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Instructions

 

• Peel the potatoes. Slice them 1/2-inch thick.
• Chop the garlic and ginger. Use a spice grinder or mortar & pestle to grind the Sichuan peppercorns (hua jiao).
• Heat the oil in a wok.
• Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté a few seconds until fragrant. Add half of the Sichuan peppercorns (hua jiao), Pixian broadbean sauce (doubanjiang), fermented black beans, and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Add the sliced potatoes and vegetable broth.
• Stir occasionally and cook about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart.
• Whisk the cornstarch with the cold water in a small bowl. Add this mixture to the potatoes and stir. This will slightly thicken the sauce. Taste for salt.
• Garnish with scallions and the remaining ground Sichuan peppercorns (hua jiao).

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