good things - Liz Posmyk
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • My book
  • Writing & Media
  • FAQs

Luke Nguyen's wok-tossed asparagus with Asian mushrooms

27/9/2014

 
Fresh asparagus spears by Liz Posmyk Good Things
Time is such a curious thing. When we want it pass to quickly, it seems to go so slowly. And when we want it to slow down, the days, weeks and months whizz right by. 

It's late September already and I feel that this year has absolutely flown. In fact, I'm almost having trouble keeping up with the day and date (no, I don't have Alzheimer's, thanks for asking, it's just that I've been so incredibly busy this year). Anyhow, when a parcel of market-fresh asparagus arrived on my doorstep from the Australian Asparagus folk (thank you!), I knew that Spring had well and truly arrived. 

'Tinned asparagus was the only asparagus I knew as a child,' Eric Rolls wrote in his book A Celebration of Food and Wine. 'It was regarded as a treat, like tinned crab,' he added. 'A favourite delicacy at afternoon tea were spears of asparagus rolled in thin buttered slices of white bread with the crusts cut off.  Tinned asparagus now seems an abomination.  It does not even suggest the flavour of fresh asparagus,' he concluded. This is so true! 

Food history tells us that tender young shoots of fresh asparagus have been prized since the days of the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. Given this, it's somewhat curious that, like Eric Rolls, many of us grew up tasting only the canned version of this sweet and succulent vegetable. 

Fresh asparagus with chillies and a selection of Asian mushrooms

Fresh asparagus is especially delicious when blanched, poached, grilled or stir-fried. With such beautiful specimens to work with, I chose Luke Nguyen's Asparagus wok-tossed with Asian mushrooms, which is on page 153 of his book, Indochine, in the chapter about Dalat. I had forgotten how good the dish was until I cooked it again this week.

For this simple dish, you need a bunch of fresh asparagus and an assortment of fresh Asian mushrooms; including oyster, black fungus or cloud ear, enoki and shiitake. I also added a few shimeji, because I love their look, taste and texture. You can find the best of these mushrooms at your local farmer's market, greengrocer or Asian grocer. 

Luke's recipe is as follows and my comments or suggestions are in brackets:

ASPARAGUS WOK-TOSSED WITH ASIAN MUSHROOMS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves (perhaps less), finely chopped
200g asparagus, trimmed and sliced into 4cm lengths
70g oyster mushrooms
70g black fungus
70g enoki mushrooms, trimmed and separated
70g shiitake mushrooms
(70g shimeji mushrooms, optional)
11/2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar (perhaps a little more)
pinch of salt and ground black pepper (optional in my opinion, the dish doesn't need it)
1 bird's eye chilli, sliced
1/4 teaspoon (perhaps more) toasted sesame seeds
steamed jasmine rice, to serve (optional)

Heat a wok over medium heat. Add the oil and fry the garlic (gently) for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the asparagus and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add all the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Toss for a further minute, or until the mushrooms are tender, then season with salt and pepper (if using). Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the chilli and sesame seeds. Serve with steamed jasmine rice. Serves 4-6 as part of a shared meal.

The verdict: this is a delicious vegetarian meal or side dish that I will definitely make again. It is so quick to prepare (seriously, it took less than five minutes to stir-fry) and is full of flavour. 
Print Friendly and PDF

An assortment of Asian mushrooms

The finished dish of wok tossed asparagus with Asian mushrooms

Tell me dear readers, is time passing quickly for you this year, or has it dragged for some reason? Have you ever eaten canned asparagus? And do you enjoy wok-tossed vegetable dishes as much as I do?
The Food Sage link
26/9/2014 09:39:10 pm

Asparagus has been gracing our dinner plates in the past few weeks, too. I love to sear it on a griddle pan then drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divine!

Lizzy
27/9/2014 02:42:40 pm

So simple and yet so delicious, Rachel!

Maureen link
27/9/2014 12:11:03 pm

Even in Maine, asparagus will grow so we had it fresh for a few marvelous weeks every year. That was it. No tinned or jarred asparagus any other time of year.

I would love Luke's asparagus and mushrooms. Yummo.

Lizzy
27/9/2014 02:43:07 pm

Wow! I think I only ate it tinned in the 70s... my mother never served asparagus at all!

Eha
27/9/2014 02:29:45 pm

Spring always arrives in my home with asparagus and artichokes :) ! I am a bit of a purist with asparagus and usually steam for best taste and texture in my book it but have made it LN's way and loved it . . . such a pity that the Asian mushrooms make it such an expensive dish . . . I usually pick just one or two kinds and add some buttons/Swiss Brows one can grow so cheaply oneself!!!

Lizzy
27/9/2014 02:43:32 pm

True, Eha, they can be expensive sometimes. : /

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella link
27/9/2014 07:44:25 pm

Oh god I remember tinned asparagus! It's strange stuff and nothing like fresh, grilled asparagus which is so good!

Lizzy
30/9/2014 05:22:15 pm

So true, Lorraine! : )

anna@shenANNAgans link
29/9/2014 09:51:34 am

Weren't they the cutest little parcels too! I opened up my package to find 3 gorgeously wrapped, ribbons & all, presents of asparagus. Love your recipe Liz, simple, delicious & quick.

Lizzy
30/9/2014 05:22:32 pm

Thanks Anna, it's Luke's recipe and I just love it too!

Hotly Spiced link
29/9/2014 09:58:59 am

I also grew up thinking asparagus grew in cans. And I remember those slices of white bread with a spear of asparagus in them - you had to be careful to properly drain the asparagus or the bread was very soggy! I make a similar recipe to this and it's so delicious and good for you and really colourful xx

Lizzy
30/9/2014 05:22:54 pm

Oh, ugh, yes, I remember those too. Pleased to say I never made them! xo

David Scott Allen link
29/9/2014 04:20:25 pm

Liz - I just made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic. I bought half a pound of local oyster and shiitake mushrooms at the market yesterday with nothing special in mind. Saw this post after, and then got the asparagus. I did substitute shallot for the garlic, and it worked great. This will become a regular for us! Thanks for sharing!

Lizzy
30/9/2014 05:23:26 pm

Oh David, that's fantastic, thanks so much... it is a keeper isn't it! You must look at my other Luke Nguyen recipes too! : )


Comments are closed.

    Welcome...

    Üdvözölöm
    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

    ​Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion.
    ​
    Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers
    and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks
    ​and cooking.
    ​
    - Liz Posmyk

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    All
    Anzac
    Apple Growers
    Australia
    Australian Producers
    Autumn
    Baking
    Beverages
    Biscuits
    Book Reviews
    Bread
    Breakfast
    Butter
    Cakes & Slices
    Canberra
    Charmaine Solomon
    Cheese
    Chestnuts
    Christmas
    Cocktails
    Coffee
    Conversations
    Cookies
    Cookware
    Cuisine Companion
    Curries
    Dairy Products
    Desserts
    Diet
    Dough
    Drink Blog
    Easter
    Edible Gifts
    Eggs
    Egg Safety
    Essays
    Events
    Favourite Flavours
    Fish
    Food News
    Food TV
    Food Verse
    Fruit
    Giveaways
    Good Things Favourites
    Growers & Producers
    Guest Post
    Health
    Hummus
    Hungarian Recipe
    Ice Cream
    In My Kitchen
    Kids In The Kitchen
    Kitchen Garden
    Markets
    Meat
    Muffins
    Musings
    My Book
    My Family
    New Year
    Noodles
    Nuts
    Observations
    Olives
    Pancakes
    Pasta
    Pastry
    Pepe Saya
    Pink Martini
    Pizza
    Polenta
    Postcards And Morsels
    Poultry
    Preserves
    Prize Giveaways
    Prunes
    Reminiscences
    Retro
    Reviews
    Rice
    Ricotta
    Salad
    Salads
    Sandwiches
    Sauce
    Seafood
    Slow Cooking
    Snacks
    Soups
    Stop Hunger Start Cooking
    Sydney
    Tefal
    Thanksgiving
    Thank You
    The Barber From Budapest
    Tofu
    Travel
    Truffles
    Tweatup510064f8ec
    Tzatziki
    Valentines Day
    Vegetables
    Vinnies Christmas Appeal


    NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes. 

    Picture
    Winner ABC's 2015 Australia Cooks competition, ACT (mains category)
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Meet the Chefs - recipes featured on Australian Asparagus Council website

Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2020.   All rights reserved.
Excerpts may be used provided that full and clear credit is given. Thank you.


Photos used under Creative Commons from alantankenghoe, riptheskull, David Jackmanson, Amani Hasan, SuntanMidori, oropeza, Annie Mole, Vegan Feast Catering, avlxyz, jeffreyw, mockstar, jenly, Syeefa Jay, pizzodisevo (therapy - terapia - Therapie), ginnerobot, cliff1066™, Jim, the Photographer
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • My book
  • Writing & Media
  • FAQs