Recipe Description
Asparagus is the star of this dish. Play up that green colour with strips of red bell pepper for contrast.
Go with the protein of your choice: beef, chicken, shrimp, extra-firm tofu or boneless pork chops. Serve the stir-fry with steamed white or brown rice.
Roll-cutting the asparagus is a simple technique to add eye appeal and enhance the vegetable’s mouth feel. Lay a spear on the cutting board and make a diagonal cut. Roll the spear one-quarter turn and make another diagonal cut. Keep turning and slicing until the asparagus spear is chopped up. Some people prefer to trim and peel the butt ends of the spears. I grew up snapping them off. Save ends for stock or soup.
Any leftover stir-fry and rice can be turned into fried rice for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner.
To save time, prep all the vegetables while the meat marinates. – Chicago Tribune/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
Recipe Ingredient
- 450g pork cutlets (or chicken) (trimmed, cut into 4cm strips)
- 2tbsp soya sauce
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 piece ginger(2.5cm long) (fresh, minced)
- 1 bunch green (spring) onions (trimmed, sliced)
- 1 bunch asparagus (roll-cut into 4cm pieces)
- 1 red bell pepper (capsicum) (cut into thin strips, 4cm long)
- 1tbsp chilli sauce or more to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the pork or chicken in the soya sauce in a small bowl, about 20 minutes.
- Heat wok or skillet over medium-high heat. When metal is hot enough to sizzle a drop of water on contact, pour in the oil. Move the wok or skillet to coat the entire surface with oil. Stir in the garlic, ginger and green onions; stir-fry until fragrant. Add asparagus spears; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes. Add red pepper strips; stir-fry, 2-3 minutes. (At this point, the asparagus should be cooked but crisp-crunchy). Transfer vegetables to a bowl; set aside.
- Add more oil to the wok or skillet if necessary. Turn out pork strips and marinade into the pan; stir-fry until the meat turns white and is almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Lower heat; return vegetables to the wok. Season with chilli sauce. Stir-fry for a minute or so to combine flavours. Serve with steamed rice.
