Miso ginger beef and asparagus stir fry

I adore stir fries. They’re fast, they’re easy and, when you gave a good combination of ingredients, it can be a one-course meal.

It’s true for this recipe. You have meat and vegetables so a side dish (as in a secondary vegetable dish) is totally optional. You want rice though to pair this dish with.

So, how does this meat and vegetable stir fry taste? Overall, it is salty and sweet, a bit nutty and slightly spicy. But let’s compartmentalize.

For the meat, the basic seasonings are soy sauce, sake and mirin. Soy sauce is salty; sake and mirin are sweet. So the flavor base is salty and sweet. Miso paste adds nuttiness, a layer of saltiness and a rich complex flavor — yes, what is known as umami. Grated ginger gives off a subtle heat. That is the combination of flavors that you end up with after cooking even with the addition of vegetables.

Now, about the asparagus. Asparagus spears need to be trimmed so that the fibrous woody portions are left out (well, unless you have baby asparagus). Don’t know where the good part ends and the tough part begins? Just bend the asparagus. It will naturally break in the exact spot where the tender and tough parts meet. Discard the tough woody ends. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer skin of the edible portion of the asparagus.

The asparagus are initially stir fried with a little salt and pepper. Onion slices are added and a little water is poured in. Both vegetables cook in the steam. By the time the water has evaporated, the asparagus is lightly crisp and the onion slices are softened.

With the vegetables done, we cook the beef. You need a little sesame seed oil to coat the bottom of a wok or frying pan. The marinated beef is spread in the hot oil, left until the underside is nicely seared then stir fried until lightly browned all over.

For people who prefer a bit more sweetness in the dish, there is an option to add honey to the meat. Drizzle it in and toss the meat to distribute the sweetness evenly. Note, however, that after honey is added, the meat will scorch fast. So, as soon as the honey has been blended in, proceed to the last part of the cooking.

Take the asparagus and onion slices, and add to the beef. Stir fry for a minute to heat the vegetables through and to give them a chance to soak up a bit all the wonderful flavors that have gone into marinating and cooking the beef.