5 recipes. Page 1 of 1
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The woody ends of the asparagus are snapped off by hand rather than cut. They break on their own right where the tough part stops. Chicken tenderloin, sliced thin against the grain, is stir-fried hard and fast in soy sauce and syrup, and the heat goes off while the asparagus is still bright green.
Thin pork belly is wrapped tightly around each asparagus spear, and the rolls go into the pan seam side down. While the fat renders and crisps the outside, the asparagus steams inside and keeps some snap. Wipe the rendered fat out of the pan before adding the sauce, or the soy and syrup glaze will slide around instead of clinging.
Twenty seconds in boiling water, then straight into ice water: that short blanch fixes the bright green and keeps a clean snap in every spear. Bending each stalk until it breaks on its own finds the point where the woody base ends, so nothing stringy ends up in the jar. Pickled in soy, brown rice vinegar and sugar, asparagus keeps a grassy, almost herbal note that radish or cabbage pickles never have. Thin lemon slices tucked between the spears add a citrus edge, though too much white pith turns the brine bitter. The aroma and acidity peak somewhere between days 2 and 5, and the sharpness works well beside rich grilled meat.
Thin slices of pork shoulder, green asparagus and red bell pepper share one pan. Peeling the lower part of each spear lets the thick end cook as fast as the tip. The pork comes off the heat when the thickest slice reaches 63°C at the center, then rests for 3 minutes.
Chuck flap is so well marbled that coarse salt, pepper and a quick, hard sear are all it takes, and it stays juicy. While the steak rests, asparagus goes into the same pan and picks up the beef fat and butter left behind.