Stirfried Asparagus comes together in minutes and has so much zippy Szechuan flavor. But what I love most is the texture of the asparagus- tender-crisp with just a little bit of snap.
In Shanghai, this dish is typically made with Chinese long beans (similar to green beans), and during our visit there it easily became one of my favorites. Today I substituted asparagus, but know that green beans are another great option too!
I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with Shanghai, a city of 23 million people, in Eastern China, but I did! I am not sure whether it was the city itself, or the amazing street food, or the people, or the culture… whatever it was, by the end of our first day, I was completely smitten.
There was an energy of contentment in the air. People started their day by doing Tai Chi in city parks and squares. And as we sat there watching them slowly move the air with their hands, I began to feel a surprising sense of peace and calm. I kept waiting for the chaos that usually comes with densely populated cities, but there was none to be found.
Most days we would meander the city that housed both ultra-modern and ancient structures, finding little alleyways to get lost in. Here we discovered the tiny food stands, an endless array of tasty bites, for mere pennies. I can’t articulate how much joy this brought.
One thing we learned is that in China, many people don’t own ovens. Most cooking is done on a stovetop, using a wok, China’s most common cooking utensil, where ingredients can be quickly fried, steamed, poached, braised or seared.
Shanghai was a vegetarian paradise, with so many different kinds of fresh vegetables available everywhere!
Ingredients in Stir-fried Asparagus:
- asparagus
- garlic
- ginger
- peanut or coconut oil
- dried red chilies
- Szechuan Peppercorns (or sub black peppercorns)
- soy sauce (or Gluten-Free Liquid Aminos)
- honey (or sub maple syrup, coconut sugar, brown sugar or sugar alternative)
- sesame oil
- rice wine vinegar (or black vinegar)
- Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing) or mirin (both optional)
- garlic chili paste (or sambal oelek) more for more spicy or sub 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- Chinese Five Spice
- Optional Garnishes: roasted peanuts, scallions, sesame seeds
How to make Szechuan Asparagus
Step one:
To start the recipe, make the Szechuan sauce, by mixing ingredients together in a small bowl.
Step two:
Chop the asparagus, garlic, and ginger.
Step Six
Add the Szechuan Sauce and stirfry for about one more minute.
More recipes you may like:
- Szechuan Salmon with Scallion Green Beans
- Chinese Eggplant with Spicy Szechuan Sauce
- Szechuan Tofu and Veggies
- Authentic Szechuan Sauce
- Sheet-Pan Szechuan Chicken and Brussel Sprouts
- Stir-Fried Pea Shoots
Stir-fried Asparagus with Szechuan Sauce
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: side dish,
- Method: stir fry
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Szechuan Stir-fried Asparagus with garlic, ginger, dried chilies, stir-fried until tender yet still crisp and vibrant. Serve this with rice and crispy tofu or chicken.
Ingredients
Szechuan Stir Fry Sauce:
- 1/2 Szechuan Peppercorns (or sub black peppercorns)
- 1/8 cup soy sauce (or Gluten-Free Liquid Aminos)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey (or sub maple syrup, coconut sugar, brown sugar or sugar alternative)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar (or black vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing) or mirin (both optional)
- 1 teaspoon garlic chili paste (or sambal oelek) more for more spicy or sub 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
Asparagus Stir Fry
- 1–2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 bunch asparagus (12–16 ounces), tough ends removed, cut in one-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
- 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
- 10–15 dried red chilies, whole.
Garnish: (Optional) 2 scallions, chopped and 1/3 cup roasted crushed peanuts
Instructions
- Whisk Szechuan sauce ingredients together in a bowl, and set by the stove.
- Prep the asparagus, garlic, ginger and have them all ready before you heat the wok.
- Heat the wok over medium-high heat and add oil. Turn your hood fan on. Add asparagus, and stir constantly, until just slightly tender and vibrant green.
- Make a space in the center of the wok, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry, 2-3 minutes.
- Add dried chilies and stir fry everything for one minute.
- Lower heat to medium, carefully pour in the Szechuan sauce, stirring to incorporate. Cook for 1-2 minutes and let it reduce a bit, turn off heat.
- Garnish with peanuts and scallions.
Notes
The chilies are not meant to be eaten, but rather just flavor the dish. Peanut oil adds the best flavor here but coconut or avocado oil will also work.
Serve with Rice and your choice of protein.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 182
- Sugar: 10.1 g
- Sodium: 215 mg
- Fat: 11.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.2 g
- Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 7.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Szechuan Asparagus with Garlic, Ginger and Chilies
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: vegan side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: chinese
Description
Szechuan Asparagus with garlic, ginger, dried chilies, stir-fried and topped with roasted peanuts is a fast, easy vegan side dish that will spice up your dinner. Serve it with rice and crispy tofu (or chicken), and it becomes a quick and flavorful meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon peanut oil
- 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 10–15 dried red chilies, chopped or whole.
Stir Fry Sauce
1 teaspoon chili paste
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 Tablespoon Mirin ( rice wine)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed szechuan peppercorns ( or use regular pepper)
- 1 tsp fermented, salted black beans (totally optional)
- Garnish: 2 scallions, chopped and 1/3 cup roasted crushed peanuts
Instructions
- Trim off tough ends of asparagus and cut into 2 inch pieces. Chop ginger and garlic. Chop scallions. Crush peanuts. Get all your other ingredients ready to use by the stove top. * If using green beans see note below*
- In a wok, heat peanut oil on nigh heat until it just begins to smoke. Turn heat to medium high. Add ginger, and stir constantly for 30 seconds, to prevent browning. Add garlic, stir another 30 seconds to one minute until golden brown. Turn heat to medium. Add asparagus, stir 2-3 minutes.
- Add chilies and rice wine. Then add remaining ingredients (except for peanuts and scallions). Stir until asparagus is al dente and liquid has reduced.
- Garnish with peanuts and scallions.
Notes
* If using green beans or long beans, sauté them in the peanut oil before adding the ginger and garlic. (They take longer to cook than asparagus.) Remove them from the oil when just tender, about 5 minutes, and set them aside. Then sauté ginger and garlic, following the recipe above, and adding the green beans back in the wok after all the other ingredients have been stirred together and reduced a little.
Nutrition
- Calories: 198
For the Szechuan Stir Fry Sauce, “1/2 Szechuan Peppercorns (or sub black peppercorns)” is listed. What measurement (teaspoon, tablespoon, cup) should I use?
Teaspoon!
Love this so much, the sauce is perfect.
So tasty! We make this all the time!!!
Great to hear- thanks!
This sounds like a wferndoul meal mommy. Diria nalang ko ni comment ha.. hope that is okay. I want me some brown rice tooo.. and some red rice.
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for posting this recipe. Beautiful photos!
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for posting this recipe. Beautiful photos!
I love your blog, too. It is beautiful. I have added a link on my blog roll for favorite foods. And it is encouraging to me that you are in Spokane, so your local foods will be in season about the same time as mine. Something I’ve been looking for in a blog. Thank you. http://www.angiecooksinportland.blogspot.com Angie
Just seeing this…thanks Angie!!
I’m in love with ALL of your recipes. Thanks for taking the time to share them! Best wishes, Erica
You are nice, thank you !