Fried Dried Potato Cakes

Fried Dried Potato Cakes

　　Whenever people talk about Huangmei’s dried potato cakes, many can’t help but start salivating. These sun-dried potato cakes, when stir-fried with meat, are incredibly flavorful and aromatic. Just one bite leaves a lingering taste that stays with you for days.

　　Dried potato cakes are a unique rural food from the mountainous areas of Huangmei. Thanks to the special soil and natural conditions in towns such as Liulin, Tingqian, Wuzu, Shanmu, Dushan, Dahe, and Zhuogang, most local farmers grow potatoes (also called potatoes or potatoes). Summer is the harvest season for potatoes, and farmers dig up the golden tubers from the fields and bring them home. In the past, life in the countryside was tough, so people would keep what they needed to eat and dry the rest—such as potatoes, cowpeas, and leafy greens—to store as winter staples. This was also a reflection of the dietary culture of Huangmei’s rural areas at the time.

　　To make dried potato cakes, first wash the freshly harvested or store-bought potatoes, then slice them thinly. Boil the slices, then lay them out on clean mats to air-dry first, before moving them to a sunny spot to fully dry in the sun. Once dried, they can be stored in bags and taken out whenever needed. These were also winter staples and a reflection of the dietary culture of Huangmei’s rural areas at the time.

　　I remember when I was a child, my family would make dried potato cakes. We’d arrange the sliced cakes neatly in a “drying frame,” then climb up a wooden ladder to place them on the flat roof of our house to dry. This way, they got plenty of sunlight and were safe from chickens or dogs. The potato slices couldn’t be cut too thick, otherwise they wouldn’t cook through properly. But if they were too thin, they’d easily turn mushy during cooking and wouldn’t dry well either. While boiling, you had to keep stirring to prevent sticking, and when drying, each slice had to be placed carefully—if they turned mushy, you couldn’t even pick them up to dry.

　　It’s best to dry them within a day, flipping them at least twice until the potato slices are completely dry. That’s when they have the best color and flavor. Otherwise, they’ll turn blackish. The best ones are white, pale, or yellowish—because different potato varieties yield different flesh colors. Potatoes with white flesh dry to a lighter shade, while those with yellow flesh dry to a yellowish tone.

　　The finished dried potato cakes are golden, translucent, and shiny. They’re usually stored in sealed plastic bags for easy access. Such a delicacy is typically only brought out during Chinese New Year or when honored guests visit—usually to stew with chicken or stir-fry with meat.

　　Nowadays, as living standards have improved and people eat plenty of meat and fish, many have developed a nostalgic craving for these simple, unassuming dried potato cakes. Every weekend, at rural restaurants, they’re the most ordered dish by both tourists and locals.