Air Fryer Vegetable Salad with Peanuts (空气炸锅三丝爆豆 Kong Qi Zha Guo San Si Bao Dou)

I made a bit of a mistake in buying a huge bag of potatoes from Costco. As a result, I’ve been trying to come up with more ways to consume them before they sprout since I don’t have enough room in my fridge. Lesson learned! So bear with me for another recipe involving potatoes.

My friend, who is from Northeastern China, gave me the idea for this recipe. This Vegetable Salad with Peanuts is another typical Northeastern Chinese dish (东北菜) that is usually served as an appetizer. The slightly acidic dressing with this unusual combination of ingredients works well and keeps you wanting more.

Traditionally potato julienne/strips and peanuts are deep fried until crispy, then combined with onion slices and cilantro leaves to create this refreshing salad. Since I just got an air fryer as a gift from a dear friend, I’ve been experimenting with many recipes using the air fryer. Many are recipes that were traditionally deep fried. So far I have been pretty happy with the results. I will definitely share more recipes using the air fryer down the road. Yes, it’s not like deep frying where you always get the same consistency, but the result is close enough for me. And most importantly, using an air fryer to fry food is thought to be much healthier than deep frying. I’m also only using a fraction of the oil. The leftover oil from deep frying was always a headache for me after deep frying.

The wide range of textures and flavors make this truly one of the most unique salads I’ve ever had. If you are allergic to peanuts, feel free to opt out and replace with other types of nuts. My youngest son particularly loves the peanuts. He thoroughly enjoys picking up these little nuts with his newly acquired chopstick skills. I know cilantro is not everyone’s cup of tea either (some even think cilantro tastes like soap), so you can use other herbs such as parsley, basil, or dill instead.

Tools: Air Fryer

Gluten Free, Vegan

Preparation Time:  10 minutes

Total Time:  25 minutes

Servings: 2 to 4 people

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 medium potatoes ¹
• 1 small or 1/2 large sweet or purple onion ²
• 1/2 cup skin-on peanuts ³
• a few cilantro leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt (or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• vegetable oil spray or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat the air fryer at 320°F (160°C) for at least 5 minutes.

2. While waiting for the air fryer to get ready, prepare the other ingredients. Peel the potatoes. Use a mandoline slicer or food processor to slice the potato into thin long strips. Rinse the potato strips several times to remove any surface starch. Set aside the potato strips in water.

3. Peel and cut the onion into thin slices. Add the onion slices to a colander. Rinse the onions under cold water several times and drain well. Chop the cilantro leaves into small pieces.

4. When the air fryer is ready, add the skin-on peanuts to the air fryer basket. Spray or drizzle the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on top, shaking a few times to evenly distribute the oil. Then air fry the peanuts for 6 minutes (if roasted) or 20 minutes (if raw). Shake the peanuts once in the middle. Once done, transfer the peanuts out into a large mixing bowl.

5. Raise the temperature of the air fryer to 375°F (190°C) and preheat for 3 minutes. Drain the potato strips well and add to the air fryer basket. Spray or drizzle another 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on top of the potatoes. Toss and mix the potatoes. Air fry the potato strips for 8 minutes (air fry 1 or 2 more minutes for a more crispy texture). Shake and spray or drizzle more vegetable oil once in the middle. Once done, more than half of the potato strips should be crispy. Transfer the potato strips to the same mixing bowl as the peanuts.

6. Add the onion slices and cilantro leaves to the mixing bowl. Then add the 1/4 teaspoon of table salt, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and mix well. Enjoy!

Bon Appétit

Notes:

1. I used yellow potatoes here, which I think is the best option. But you can use any type of potato. The difference won’t be as big since the potato is cut into super thin strips. Make sure to rinse the potato strips several times to remove extra surface starch. Otherwise the potato strips won’t be as crunchy.

2. I used a sweet onion here. For a better visual effect, the purple onion is ideal. Rinse the onion slices under cold, running water several times to remove the onion’s pungency.

3. I got my skin-on peanuts from my local Asian grocery store. These are already cooked. So I only need to air fry them for 6 minutes. If you buy raw peanuts, make sure to air fry for 20 minutes (or more based on your air fryer).

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