Shiitake and asparagus stir fry
Salty and sweet with plenty of umami, this side dish cooks in eight minutes or less.
Servings 2 people
Ingredients
- 12 to 15 asparagus spears trimmed, peeled and cut into quarter-inch slices
- salt
- sesame seed oil
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 red bell pepper deseeded and cut into sticks
- 6 to 8 shiitake fresh or rehydrated, sliced
Sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seed oil
Instructions
- In a wok or shallow pan, boil about two cups of water with two generous pinches of salt and a drizzle of sesame seed oil.
- Drop the asparagus slices into the boiling water and cook for two minutes. Scoop out and spread on a plate.
- Discard the water, wipe the pan clean and heat the cooking oil.
- Saute the garlic for a minute.
- Add the shiitake caps, bell pepper sticks and a pinch of salt. Cook, tossing, for a minute to a minute and a half.
- Turn up the heat to HIGH and pour in the mixed sauce. Stir fry for a minute until the shiitake and bell peppers have soaked up most of the sauce.
- Add the asparagus and continue stir frying until there is only about a tablespoon of sauce left.
- Taste. Adjust the seasonings, if needed.
- Optionally, garnish with toasted sesame seeds before serving.
