The dish uses a Chinese technique called gan chao or ‘dry frying’ whereby the asparagus is stir-fried without sauce until starting to wrinkle, meaning moisture has evaporated from the vegetable and giving it a pleasant, slightly chewy texture.
30-minute meal recipes · Chinese recipes
Sichuan-style asparagus with pork mince
Our Sichuan-style asparagus is inspired by the popular Chinese green bean dish, which sees the vegetable stir-fried with ginger, garlic, pork mince and sichuan peppercorns in lieu of a sauce. It’s delicious served with rice or as part of a wider selection of Chinese dishes. You might also love tofu with caramel and sichuan pepper.
Dairy-free
Serves2 (or 4 as a side)
Hands-on30 min
DifficultyEasy
Method
Pour about 3cm deep of vegetable oil in a pan or wok and put over a medium high heat. Once shimmering hot, fry the asparagus until just starting to wrinkle – about 5 minutes. You may need to work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Drain on kitchen paper, patting dry with paper to remove excess oil.
Remove most of the remaining oil from the wok, leaving about 1 tbsp in the pan. Add the ginger and garlic and fry until soft but not coloured. Add the chillies and sichuan peppercorns, followed by the pork mince. Allow to brown and crisp for 5 minutes then add the soy sauce, shaoxing wine and sugar. Cook for another minute or so until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce clings to the mince. Return the asparagus to the pan and stir to combine. Serve immediately with rice or other dishes.
Nutrition
| Calories | 161kcals |
|---|---|
| Fat | 10.1g (1.8g saturated) |
| Protein | 9.5g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.1g (6.2g sugars) |
| Fibre | 1.6g |
Quick wins, tips & make ahead
To make the dish veggie, finely dice shiitake mushrooms and fry in place of pork mince.
Rate & review
If you loved this
See all →More 30-minute meal recipes
Spaghetti and chicken meatballs in red pepper sauce
🍽 Serves 4◆ Easy
Big Zuu’s plantain cheeseburgers
🍽 Serves 4◆ Easy
Spicy sardine linguine
🍽 Serves 2◆ Easy
Keep browsing
