Asparagus with Mixed Vegetables

This asparagus recipe combines asparagus with other vegetables in an easy stir-fry. In this asparagus recipe, the "speers" remain bright green and still crispy, never soggy or limp. Stir-fried in your wok or frying pan, this easy and healthy asparagus recipe will give you 2-3 servings of your daily vegetable goal, and still you'll crave more! Includes an easy stir-fry sauce and lots of cooking tips to make the best asparagus recipe you've ever tried!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus
• 1 carrot, sliced into matchstick-like pieces
• 4 spring (green) onions, cut into 2-inch lengths (including green stem)
• handful of fresh shiitake (or other type) mushrooms, sliced
• 1-2 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and sliced into thin strips
• 2-3 Tbsp. sherry or cooking sherry
• canola oil (or other healthy oil) for stir-frying
• STIR-FRY SAUCE:
• 3 Tbsp. oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce (or vegetarian fish sauce) + more to taste
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. fresh minced red chili (OR dried chili flakes, OR chili sauce (omit for mild, or add more for spicy-hot)
• optional: 1 tsp. shrimp paste
• 2 tsp. sesame oil

Preparation:

1. Rinse asparagus, then snap off the ends (these will snap off easily in just the right place, leaving only the tender stalks behind). Discard the ends, juice them, or add them to homemade chicken stock.
2. Prepare all other vegeatables and place them in separate piles near the stove.
3. Make the sauce by stirring all sauce ingredients (except the sesame oil) together in a cup. Stir well. Set the cup beside the stove.
4. Heat 2-3 Tbsp. oil in a wok (or large frying pan) over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the asparagus and stir-fry 1 minute.
5. Add the cooking sherry plus the carrots and mushrooms. Stir-fry another 1-2 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked.

   Tip: When wok/pan becomes dry, add a little water instead of more oil (1 Tbsp. at a time).

6. Add the spring onions and bell pepper. Stir-fry 1 more minute.
7. Finally, add the bean sprouts plus the sauce. Stir-fry to combine (30 seconds to 1 minute).
8. Remove from heat and drizzle the sesame oil over. Toss to combine.

   Tip: Sesame oil is one of the "healthy oils", but if it is heated, it loses all its nutritional value. So be sure to drizzle it over the vegetables at the end, when your stir-fry is done.

9. Taste test the vegetables for salt and sweetness, add more fish sauce (1 tsp. to 1 Tbsp.) if not salty enough, or a little more sugar if too sour.

   Tip: The asparagus (and other vegetables) should still be fairly crisp and bright in color (aside from tasting better, this means they have retained most of their valuable nutrients too!).

10. Serve hot from the wok. May be eaten as is, or with Thai jasmine rice. Enjoy!

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