Another Lunar New Year is here. I can’t believe it. Time is flying by. During the Lunar New Year, my mom always makes several vegetarian dishes. One of them is pan fried potatoes and serves with a side of soy sauce. It was just sliced russet potatoes, salt and pepper with a little bit of vegetable oil. Today I’m going to put my own spin to this pan fried potatoes dish and jazz it up a bit.
What is pan fried potatoes?
When my mom makes a vegetarian dish (đồ chay), not only does it mean no meat, but it also means no garlic, no onions, no chives. Basically nothing except salt, pepper and vegetable oil. Which as you can imagine….can turn out bland. The reason for avoiding all and any aromatics in a Vietnamese vegetarian dish? Rumor has it it’s because these vegetables have a strong smell and are considered an aphrodisiac.
However, to me when something is vegetarian, it just means no meat. After all, you need all those spices to make the food taste delicious. This pan fried potatoes dish has potatoes, oil, chopped garlic, ginger paste, salt, pepper and coconut aminos. Mix all the ingredients together then toss on to a pan and cook it until the potatoes are a consistency you like. I like my potatoes a bit on the crunchy side for this dish.
Coconut aminos?
One of my friend turned me on to coconut aminos and as it turns out, I love it. So, what are coconut aminos? At first glance it is a dark colored sauce with the same consistency as soy sauce. It is made from the sap of coconut plant. Unlike soy sauce which is on the saltier side, coconut aminos have a sweet taste. For those of you who do not care for coconuts, don’t worry, coconut aminos do not have any coconut taste. It is a good alternative to soy sauce because it is gluten and soy free.
Serving pan fried potatoes
Traditionally these pan fried potatoes are served with a side of Jasmine rice and anything else that is served during the Lunar New Year such as braised pork with eggs. However, lately I’ve been on a kick of having a salad bowl for dinner so I just toss some on top of my salad bowl.
Pan Fried Potatoes (Khoai Chiên)
Ingredients
- 3 potatoes cut up in thin slices
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1.5 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp ginger paste can also use freshly grated ginger
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes by scrubbing the skin well. This way you don't have to peel the skin…less waste.
- Thinly slice the potatoes and set it aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine oil, chopped garlic, ginger paste, salt, pepper and coconut aminos. Mix well and give the marinade a taste and adjust accordingly.
- Pour this marinade over the sliced potatoes and mix to combine all the ingredients. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Place a non-stick pan on the stove over medium heat. Pour the marinated potatoes into the pan.
- Let the potatoes cook until it gets to the consistency you like. If you prefer the potatoes to be more on the softer side, cook it with the lid on. Otherwise, cook with the lid off for a more crunchy potatoes.
The next time you’re looking for an easy but delicious side dish, give this recipe a try. Who knows, you might fall in love with using coconut aminos like I did. Already using coconut aminos? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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