Cold Asparagus, Chinese Style
Grrrrrgh!
Course : Chinese
From: HungryMonster.com
Serves: 4
 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds asparagus -- cleaned
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 dash salt -- or to taste
 

Preparation:

Clean the asparagus and leave it whole. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a boil and add the peanut oil to help keep the color. Blanch the vegetable for about 4 to 5 minutes, then plunge it into very cold water. Drain well and chill. When ready to serve you may dress the asparagus with a sesame oil-based dressing. Hint on cleaning asparagus: Hold the bottom end of the stem in one hand and gently bend the stalk with the other. The stalk will break where it is tender, thus giving you a piece of asparagus that is entirely edible. With a little practice you will know exactly where to break the vegetable. Save the broken-off ends for soups. Slice and add to soup stock, then drain and discard the coarse stalks before serving.