Perfect Stir-Fry Asparagus
This perfect stir-fry asparagus is absolutely the best asparagus I have ever eaten. I’ll never cook asparagus any other way!
Cook’s Illustrated test kitchens shared their tried and true technique for achieving perfectly seasoned, crisp-tender asparagus. I tried it in my own kitchen, and it works! In less than 10 minutes, this method yielded the best asparagus I’ve ever eaten. My 13-year-old even said it was yummy:-)
The technique: Asparagus gets a brown, caramelized exterior and crisp-tender bite with a quick stir-fry followed by a short steam in a sauce diluted with water.
The equipment: Any 12″ or larger non-stick skillet will work, but I use this Cuisinart 14-inch stir fry pan for all my saute and stir fry. It is the best $30 and under cooking tool I own; I love it!
The sauce: The sauce is wonderful and makes this stir-fry taste like something you’d get at P.F. Chang’s. Fresh ginger and sesame oil along with soy sauce give a full bodied Asian flavor that is super yummy and pairs well with anything.
Perfect Stir-Fry Asparagus
This easy cooking technique yields perfectly crisp-tender asparagus every time.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry (may use white wine or rice vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on bias into 2-inch lengths
Instructions
- Combine water, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, ginger, and sesame oil in bowl.
- Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking.
- Add asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add soy sauce mixture and cook, stirring once or twice, until pan is almost dry and asparagus is crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 308Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 3gSodium 1173mgCarbohydrates 30gSugar 18gProtein 11g
This is so easy and so yummy, I do hope that you’ll give it a try. Seriously, I won’t be roasting or baking asparagus ever again. This will be my go-to method.
I’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave comments. Thanks so much for stopping by! Be blessed, and stay savvy!!!
Oh goodness this sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing this method. I will be giving this a try for sure:-)
Using a large wok, I stir fry about a pound of thick asparagus pieces (2-3 inches long) in sesame oil on high just until turning emerald green. Then I quickly add 1-2 tsp soy sauce and 1-2 Tblsp of cream sherry and continue stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated. This results in slightly cooked asparagus on the outside with a crunchy sweet interior. I serve this as is, or with bearnaise sauce. I find classical steamed asparagus to be somewhat sour, while this method leaves the crunchy sweet interior with a delicious nutty flavor from the soy/sherry braise. Many people who did not like asparagus loved it this way.