Stir-Fried Asparagus with Spicy Sichuan Sauce Recipe. How to Cook Chinese Style Asparagus!

I am glad winter is finally over and spring has sprung.  I can hardly wait for the soil to warm enough so I can grow my own asparagus, my favourite  spring vegetables.  This tender, crisp and sweet vegetables suits any cooking method such as grilling, steaming or stir frying or even as raw salads.  My preference cooking is stir frying. 

Fast and high heat cooking method create crisp-tender asparagus dish.  I like to add Sichuan peppercorn to give hot numbing tingling sensation. Reduce the amount of chili sauce and Sichuan peppercorn if you can't stand hot spicy foods.  Here is easy spicy Sichuan style stir-fried asparagus recipe from my kitchen. It's low calorie, low sodium and extremely healthy. 

Ingredients:

1 lbs asparagus

1 tbsp cooking oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2  cup chicken stock

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp chili paste

1 tsp sichuan peppercorn

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp grated ginger

Method:

Choose young and crisp asparagus. Break off the tough ends of asparagus. Cut asparagus into desired length, or about 2 inch pieces. Mix stir fry sauce: chili paste, oster sauce, soy sauce and sugar.

Add cooking oil, ginger and garlic into a wok. Turn the heat into medium. Wait until the oil is hot, then add sichuan peppercorn and asparagus. Quickly toss to coat asparagus in oil. Stir fry about 30 seconds.

Add sauce and chicken stock. Cover and cook for 2 minutes or until the asparagus is crisp-tender. Turn off the heat and drizzle some sesame oil. Ready to serve. 

For stir frying, I prefer smaller diameter asparagus since it's crunchier and another plus is very good for food presentation. When you go to farmer market or supermarket, look at bright green, firm, and rounded, not woody stalks. Avoid yellow, blemished and dried up one. Of course do not forget to check the tips, it should be small in size, dark green or purple color.

Sometimes I get not so good asparagus with woody stalks. I hate to waste anything. Grab your kitchen knife and peel the outer skin off and your stalks will ready for stir frying. Look at above picture as the chef did with bigger diameter and woody stalks. Its still yummy and crunchy asparagus !

It's easy, light and delicious, yet quick fix dish with no more than 15 minutes to finish. If you like spicy food you will love this dish. Besides, asparagus is low in fat and high in fiber. Here are some key nutritional values per 4 oz of cooked asparagus:

Calories (kcal) 13

Carotenes (mcg) 255

Folic acid (mcg) 74

Potassium (mg) 110

Vitamin C (mg) 5

Vitamin E (mg) 0.56

If you like natural remedies, asparagus has medicinal benefits such as as relieve remedy of indigestion, traditional diuretic and counter colic.