Let me be honest with you-- I'm not a fan of asparagus. However, my husband has been mocking me for being a vegetarian and yet not loving so many vegetables (forgive me, spinach, okra and other slimy green vegetables). He, on the other hand, a non-vegetarian, eats all kinds of vegetables. Well, at least vegetables in Japan. So one afternoon, when I saw that asparagus was cheap at the supermarket (ten sticks of thin asparagus for ￥88), I decided it's a good opportunity to slowly embrace my dislikes, one vegetable at a time.
So what I thought I should do to make asparagus palatable to me was to stir-fry it in Lovely B. Butter.
After I had a bite of this dish, I learned to smile at the thought of asparagus. My husband, on the other hand, just loved it all the same.
Ingredients
4-6 thin/salad asparagus (cut into three parts)
1 sheet usuage
butter (or olive oil for the vegans)
1 tbsp Japanese sake
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp soy sauce
black pepper
Procedure
Cut aburaage into 4 (about 4x8cm each), then cut each quarter in a way in which the length will be doubled (4x16cm each), thereby exposing the white inside of the tofu. (whew that was so difficult to explain in words. I better make an illustration for that, shouldn't I?)
Wrap two to three asparagus in tofu, then seal with a toothpick.
On a pan greased with butter, stir-fry wrapped asparagus until the aburaage is lightly browned and crunchy on some parts. Sprinkle some black pepper.
Add mixed Japanese sake, mirin and soysauce and let it sizzle.
Happy eating! Mind the toothpick especially if kids are eating on their own.