Apa bagus? Asparagus!

Somehow this incident stuck in my head for a very long time. I used to follow my mum to wet market during the school and college days.  We walked from our house to the market.  It took us about 15 to 20 minutes walk.  I enjoyed the early morning walk with my mum back then.

There was one time while we were looking at the vegetables from one stall to another, we overheard a Malay lady asked a seller, "Apa bagus ini?" and the seller replied, "This is asparagus!  Not apa bagus!" So, the name ''asparagus'' has been stuck in my mind since then.  Of course, back then I had never tasted asparagus.  My family hardly eat it.  And it wasn't (and still) that cheap and not everyone could afford to buy and eat it.

Forward to many years later, I saw my father-in-law was preparing asparagus one day for dinner.  He was busy peeling the skin off.  He peeled every inch of the skin up to the flower tip. And he simply cooked it with garlic and salt.  Nothing else.  And that was my first time tasted asparagus.  My first thought was it was sweet, crunchy and tasty.  Nothing like leeks, or onion flower or anything at all.  That was what I thought of the taste of asparagus till I really tasted it!!

So, since then, I fell in love with this edible shoot! And one evening, hubby bought a pack of asparagus for me to cook.  200g for over RM11.  Ok lah, considering we never had asparagus on the dining table till that evening.  Lol!

Stir-fried asparagus (Chinese style)

Ingredients:
200g asparagus
Slices of carrot
few white bunashimeji mushrooms(or substitute with Shitake mushrooms)
few cloves of garlic, minced
1 shallot, sliced

few slices of chicken breast, marinated with oyster sauce, Shao Xing wine, pepper, salt, sesame oil

Sauces:
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp. Shao Xing wine
1 tsp sesame oil
8 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp cornstarch

Methods:

1. Prepare the vegetable.  Chop off about an inch off the bottom of the asparagus.  Peel the skin off as the bottom part could be tough.  Slice asparagus into about 2 inch length. Wash the mushrooms and tear them into half.

2. Marinate the chicken breast for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

3. In a wok, add about 3 tbsp. cooking oil.  Once heated, toss in the garlic and shallot.  Saute till fragrant.

4. Add in the chicken.  Saute till the meat turned white.  Add in the carrot slices and mushrooms.  Toss and cook for a minute or so. 

5. Add in the asparagus.  Stir fried for a minute before add in the sauces.

6. Cook till the sauces thicken and asparagus has cooked and soften.  Dish out.