Friday, May 25, 2012

Chinese Asparagus Salad


About the only way I cook asparagus these days is by roasting them in the oven. They are so good that way that I hate to 'waste' them by doing anything else. But right now those lovely, thinner-than-a-pencil stalks are in the market and I can see no reason not to eat them in every way possible!

Years ago I used to make an ultra-quick asparagus salad from a recipe I found in a Chinese cookbook. After awhile I kept the same light dressing and started adding other ingredients. I decided to reprise that recipe today (sorry, I can't remember the exact source) and throw in some other ingredients for a variety of tastes and textures. Here's what I had:


I sliced and blanched the asparagus -- isn't it a lovely green?


And then made:

Chinese Asparagus Salad

1 bunch asparagus (about 1 lb.), sliced on the diagonal
several shiitake mushrooms, caps only, thinly sliced
a few radishes, halved and thinly sliced into half rounds
1 bunch green onions, chopped (white and light green parts only)
1 Tbs reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp roasted Chinese sesame oil (it's a golden brown; unroasted sesame oil is light yellow)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

Blanche the asparagus in boiling water for 30-60 seconds (depending on the thickness of the asparagus), then rinse in cold water and pat dry. Put in a bowl with the shiitake mushrooms, radishes and green onions. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the veggies. Toss to coat. Eat!



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