Wok-Fried Asparagus With Walnuts

Oh. My. Gosh. This is the best thing I have made in a long time, and honestly I make delicious suppers often! ;) I had to make my own 5 spice (we live in a rural area) and it was unbelievably fragrant and delicious and more than worth the effort. I added shrimp (because we are on the coast so why not) and it was beyond fabulous. My family, including teens, loved loved loved!

I think that this is a great recipe for people who don't really like asparagus; nice flavors, but the spices overwhelm the unique flavor of fresh picked farmers' market asparagus. Next time I would make it with green beans, or Chinese long beans. I would also add a teaspoon of rice vinegar (or 2t of white wine) for a bit of acidity.

Didn't have walnuts so subbed pecans. This was delicious. Definitely will make again.

Next time I will chop up the walnut halves so they are distributed throughout.

Really good. Don't add the nuts or soy sauce until the very end, to keep everything crunchy. My one quibble would be that it lacks a "high note": next time I'll try finishing it with a squeeze of lime or lemon.

If you cut on the diagonal you'll get the full flavor of the asparagus. I saw this on the Dinah Shore show. A Chicago chef, Chef Louie, demonstrated.

This was a lovely balance of flavors and quick to put together. I didn't have a fresh chile, so I used a little hot chili paste. Chives from my garden subbed for the scallions. As I stir-fried the asparagus after adding the seasonings, I added a small amount of water to keep the spices from burning. (I didn't make a full recipe, and the wok was hot.)

"Snap off and discard bottoms of asparagus"! Really, no, peel the bottom half, it's easy, and cook just like the rest. Read Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1 pp.434-435. Who wants to waste asparagus? I use a vegetable peeler (Julia says to use a paring knife) and take off the tough outer flesh, then the asparagus is ready for whatever method of preparation you care to use.

Almonds work too and for a a more buttery texture cashews or macadamias.. basically any nut will do. Yummy recipe indeed

OMG: This is on the hit list.
I believe you can change it up with french green beans for asparagus.
I used extra garlic. One serrano chili was enough! Next time I'd do more walnuts, and cut them a bit smaller. Used black pepper as I don't have Sichuan peppercorns. Worked just fine. Amazingly delicious

I'm not familiar with 5 spice powder. What did you use to make your own?

Using green beans and adding shrimp, we loved this. Because we're wary of too much sweetness, we used only about 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar; that was plenty.

You could try sugar snap peas or green beans (maybe blanch the beans first). I think small broccoli or cauliflower florets would work, too.

So, I made this last night for a friend struggling with depression, which lately has made it difficult for them to enjoy or even to taste most food. I increased all the spices and flavorings, and doubled the walnuts for more protein. And, they enjoyed it! They had a second helping, which is really rare these days. The flavors are strong and unusual; the sesame oil and green onions at the end are especially great.

This is so good!!! I served it over quinoa with a touch of fresh lime. A new go to asparagus recipe.