Asparagus with Special Plum Sauce Salad

Happened to attend the Yummy Veggie Vegetarian Cooking Demonstration at Peranakan Museum last Sunday. The Vegetarian Food Demo was by a Non-Vegetarian Eatery – Coriander Leaf. Due to no open fire allow, the session I attended show how to make simple salad. One of the salads is Asparagus with Plum Sauce – click here to see it ! The surprising thing is many non-vegetarians attend this cooking demonstration and so eager to learn. Could it be it was the Chef of Non-vegetarian eatery doing it? Or people in this conceptual age are more open minded, begin to realize healthier eating is important and vegetarian food is not that boring after all. I don’t know.

I decide to improvise it and omit some ingredients like mustard seeds, chilli oil and added some other things. I make used of bamboo fungus net like formation, to hold the asparagus together, so it is easier to pick up. And the bamboo fungus also served as a sponge soaking the sauce to make the asparagus tastier. Give it a try, it isn’t difficult at all and in fact, just blanching and you can treat it as “doing art with food”. Add some fun ingredients into it, you will then enjoy …

I omitted the ice spa after blanching the veggie, as I have lesser veggie to do and I shorten the cooking a little bit to allow some buffer for ‘over-cooking process’. It is really simple and you can spend a little bit of time decorating it, it will looks fabulous, like some art piece or what being served in the restaurant ... Those little carrot bits are left over when I cut the carrot slices into flower shape and I throw them on the asparagus.

Preparation: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 4 asparagus, halved diagonally, blanched in boiling water for 30 seconds and drained well
° 4 bamboo fungus/bamboo pith, soaked and blanched in boiling water for 1 minute and drain well.
° 4 carrot slices (optional), cut into flower shape

Dressing
° 1 tablespoon Chinese plum sauce
° ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
° ½ teaspoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil
° ½ teaspoon sugar
° ¼ - ½ teaspoon dried chilli flake, or to taste
° ¼ teaspoon roasted sesame seed (optional)

Method
1. Put 2 sections of asparagus into each bamboo fungus. Arrange on a serving plate and garnish with carrot slice.
2. Combine all dressing ingredient in a bowl and mix well. Drizzle over the asparagus and serve.