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Dongbei luan dun
Mixed vegetable stew
东北乱炖 (Dongbei luan dun): northeastern Chinese hodgepodge of potato, aubergine, beans, corn and tomato
Luan dun, the 'chaotic stew', is everyday harvest cooking from Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, made in autumn when the garden gives everything at once and a big pot feeds the whole household through the cold evenings. Potato, aubergine, green beans, corn on the cob, peppers and tomato are cooked together in a soy-scented broth until soft and saucy, with the potato thickening it naturally. Serve it with steamed rice or mantou buns. The usual mistake is putting everything in together, so the beans stay squeaky while the aubergine turns to mush; add the vegetables in order of how long they take. A pressure cooker works too: 4 minutes on high after the beans and potato go in. Chef's tip: crush the potato pieces lightly against the pot near the end to give the stew body.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 spring onionscut into 3 cm lengths
- 4 slices fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlicsliced
- 2 tomatoescut into wedges
- 2 potatoespeeled, 3 cm chunks
- 7 oz green beanssnapped in half
- 1 corn on the cobcut into 4 rounds
- 1 auberginecut into 3 cm chunks
- 1 green peppercut into chunks
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups hot water
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat. Fry 3 spring onions, 4 slices fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic and 1 star anise for 1 minute until fragrant.
1 minStep 2: Add 2 tomatoes and stir for 3 minutes until it collapses into a red sauce.
3 minStep 3: Add 2 potatoes, 7 oz green beans and 1 corn on the cob, then 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and 2 cups hot water. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes.
12 minStep 4: Add 1 aubergine, push it under the liquid, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the aubergine is soft and the potato breaks when pressed.
10 minStep 5: Stir in 1 green pepper and cook uncovered for 4–5 minutes, crushing a few potato pieces against the pot, until the beans are tender and the sauce is thick enough to coat the vegetables.
5 minStep 6: Serve hot from the pot with rice or steamed buns.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does dongbei luan dun take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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