We wanted to have an Asian dinner tonight. And we wanted to empty our fridge. We had absolutely beautiful baby zucchinis that I had not been able to stop grabbing in bunch the moment I had located them at the market. We had had half of it with some pasta with a creamy zucchini sauce. The other half with beef in red curry sauce tonight. We also had some asparagus, which I had been keeping in fridge in a cup with some water in the bottom for a few days, half of the can of the chickpeas left over from our last chickpea asparagus salad -- just scroll down please--. And mint... So the night called for it, an asparagus and chickpea salad, with the same idea of brightening up some beautiful earthy flavors with herb and citrus, Asian way this time, as the night called.
Prepare your chickpeas and asparagus as before. My asparagus was thin tonight, so I boiled it for just 2 minutes. Also no parmesan reggiano this time. Here is my dressing for the salad (again for two):
2 tbs grapeseed oil, or any neutral flavor oil
1 tbs fish sauce
Zest of half of lime
1.5 tbs lime juice
1/2 ts grated ginger
1/4 ts grated garlic
1/8-1/4 ts sugar (well, just use 1/4 ts)
1 small green Thai chili about an inch long, thinly sliced (something hot like serrano would be fine, too)
Mix everything but oil and sugar in a small cup. Add 1/8 ts of sugar, mix and taste. If you need more sugar to open up the flavors, add a little more. Add the oil and mix. Let it rest for about 20 minutes for the flavors to develop further.
In a bowl, mix your chickpeas, asparagus, sliced green onions, and thinly sliced mint, toss with the dressing and enjoy. If you give me a hug next time you see me, I'll know that you have tried that at home...
So what is fish sauce? Would for example Thai fish sauce they sell in Whole Foods work?
ReplyDeleteYes, that is what it is. The smell might be a little harsh for the first time user, but don't get discouraged, it is just anchovy, salt and water at the end. A few tips, teaspoon (ts) is what we call tatli kasigi, not cay kasigi; and use 1/4 ts sugar not less. Also, don't waste the dressing at the end, please drink it out of the bowl, please, it is sacred :)
ReplyDeleteFinally: My second try was a (partial) success story! the only thing that was wrong was: I forgot to put the asparagus in boiling water, instead I put it in cool water-and at the and I forgot to drain it:) So they were not crunchy at all:)
ReplyDeleteBut other than that-It was a very delicious side dish, served at the 2nd year PhD students' "Easter Suppah" event:)
Thanks a lot for the recipe and hints.
PS: The dressing was definitely not wasted.
Merve, glad to hear that you liked it. if you like a crunchy texture, asparagus needs really very little cooking time, which means cooking has to be stopped. Even taking it out of boiling water may not be enough, running cold tap water throughly is what I usually do. If I am not lazy, I will dip them into ice water for about 30-60 seconds.
ReplyDelete