Sunday Nite Dinner » asparagus

Asparagus Crab Soup (Sup Mang Tay Cua)

Chuck — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 01:07:12 +0000

Last week, my brother, Trung, left me a message saying that he didn't see asparagus crab soup (sup mang tay cua) on the site. In Vietnamese, asparagus is mang tay and literally translates to "bamboo French". Anyway, I think it's one of his favorite soups.

So, I asked my mom for her recipe and she gave me the steps to making the soup. It's amazing the amount of recipes she keeps in her head. I have a hard enough time remembering just one of them. That's one of the reasons why we started documenting everything on SND.

The soup is easy to make and is essentially an egg drop soup with asparagus and crab. Like making pho, a charred onion is used to add more flavor to the stock. Hungry Bear and I don't like our asparagus mushy and brown, so I only cooked it for a few minutes. The soup turned out great and tasted like my mom's, which made me and my tummy very happy!

There you have it, Trung. Ask and you shall receive. Now, does anyone else have a Viet recipe request for my mom?

Asparagus Crab Soup (Sup Mang Tay Cua) Recipe

SND Note: If you are using homemade chicken stock, the charred onion is not necessary. If you have an electric burner, place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the burner and char the onion on top of the foil. Don't over-beat the eggs if you want ribbons of white and yellow eggs in the soup. For a thicker soup, add additional corn starch.

Ingredients

8 cups (64 ounces) low-sodium chicken stock
1 medium onion, halved
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 pounds (2 bundles) asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 1 inch segments
1/2 pound cooked crab meat, remove any shells or cartilage
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 large eggs, barely beaten
Handful of cilantro, chopped

Directions

Char the onion halves directly over a gas burner or under a broiler, until blackened and fragrant. Reserve 1/2 cup of chicken stock in a small bowl. In a large stock pot, add the onion halves and remaining stock; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add fish sauce, black pepper, salt and asparagus and cook uncovered for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, make a slurry by whisking and dissolving the corn starch into the reserved chicken stock. Reduce heat to medium and add the crab meat. Slowly stir in the corn starch slurry into the soup. Continue stirring to thicken, about 1 minute.
While stirring the soup, slowly pour the eggs in a steady stream. Continue stirring eggs to create shreds or ribbons and until eggs are set, about 1 minute. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve by garnishing with cilantro and a little freshly ground black pepper.

Makes 6 servings

Tags: asparagus, chicken stock, crab, easy, onions, soup, vietnamese

Garlic Beef with Asparagus and Shiitakes

Chuck — Tue, 20 May 2008 05:08:23 +0000

Yesterday, I wanted something Asian for dinner... Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, whatever. I just needed something comforting over rice. Hungry Bear suggested making a stir-fry with flank steak and I reminded her about the asparagus in the fridge. So, she whipped up garlic beef with asparagus and shiitake mushrooms.

The key to any stir-fry with thin slices of beef is not to over cook the meat. Hungry Bear made it perfectly as it remained tender and moist. The stir-fry was really flavorful from the oyster sauce, soy, garlic and shiitakes.

Although I wanted rice, Hungry Bear made me eat it over noodles... something about my birthday and long life. I don't believe in that type of stuff, but I obliged. Sadly, the fresh Asian egg noodles we had in the fridge weren't so fresh anymore and had grown a little "hairy." We searched the pantry for a suitable substitute and could only muster up spaghetti noodles. Maybe I should have told you that we wanted to make an East meats West dish!?!

The garlic beef stir-fry was so delicious, it didn't matter if it was served on spaghetti, egg noodles or rice. But maybe I added a few extra years to my life by eating noodles on my birthday!

Garlic Beef with Asparagus and Shiitakes Recipe

SND Note: Any mushroom can be substituted for shiitakes. And asparagus can be replaced with any green vegetable, such as snow peas, broccoli or Chinese broccoli. If you like a lot of sauce, increase the quantity of stock or water to 1 1/2 cups and add additional corn starch slurry to thicken.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds flank steak or sirloin steak
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (shaohsing)
1 1/2 tablespoons of corn starch
4 1/2 tablespoons of garlic, minced
1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and sliced
4 tablespoons canola oil
5 tablespoons oyster sauce
1-2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (optional)
1 cup chicken stock or water

Directions

Trim excess fat and gristle from flank steak and thinly slice against the grain. In a medium bowl, combine 4 tablespoons soy sauce, rice wine, corn starch and 2 1/2 tablespoons of garlic. Add beef and toss to coat with marinade.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over high heat. Add flank steak and stir-fry until just browned, but still medium rare. Remove immediately and set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok and 2 tablespoons of garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add asparagus and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Asparagus should still be crisp.
Mix in oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to mushroom/asparagus mixture. Stir in chicken stock. Add the beef and toss gently in the sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste and additional slurry of corn starch to the sauce if necessary. Serve over jasmine rice or noodles.

Makes 6 servings

Tags: asparagus, beef, chinese, flank steak, mushrooms, shiitake, stir fry

Asparagus Crab Pasta with Leeks and Mushrooms

Chuck — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:54:42 +0000

Last week, I planned on making a tomato based penne. But as we were grocery shopping, I saw a cheap can of crab meat (1 pound for $7.99). Since we are on a recession budget, I decided to give the canned crab a try. And the penne dish morphed into an asparagus crab pasta with leeks and mushrooms.

I tried to keep the pasta simple and make it a one pot dish... well two pots, you need another one to cook the pasta, but you get my point. After I sautéed the garlic, leek, asparagus and mushroom mixture, I gave it a taste and it was great by itself. I opened the can of crab and finally realized it was all claw meat... damn it! No wonder it was so cheap.

I usually eat my steamed crab dipped in a mixture of lemon juice, salt and pepper. So, I added the juice and zest of a lemon to the pasta. Even with the canned crab claw meat, the pasta was really good. It had great flavors from the leeks and asparagus, while the lemon juice and zest brightened up the pasta. Sadly, I overcooked the asparagus by being overzealous with my picture taking.

Next time I make this dish, I'll use fresh crab meat, not take pictures while cooking and this asparagus crab pasta will be even better. Let's hope this recession ends soon!

Side Note: Hungry Bear and I will be moving next week... a long distance move of 1.5 miles. We'll be busy with packing and un-packing for the next two weeks, so new posts will be limited during this time. The good news is we'll be cooking and baking in a much nicer, remodeled kitchen. I can't wait for the first Sunday night dinner in the new place!

Asparagus Crab Pasta with Leeks and Mushrooms Recipe

SND Note: Don't forget to salt the water before cooking your pasta. If the pasta is dry after all ingredients are combined, add a little pasta water and/or a drizzle of olive oil. I used penne in the dish because it was in the pantry, but any pasta can be used.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large leeks, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 large bunch of asparagus (about 1.5 pounds)
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus additional to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
2 lemons - 1 lemon zested and juiced, 1 lemon cut in wedges
1-2 Thai chili peppers, minced (optional)
1 pound cooked crab meat, remove any shells or cartilage
1 pound pasta (penne, fettuccini or your favorite type), cooked

Directions

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add garlic and leeks cook until leeks are softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add butter, remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, asparagus, mushrooms, salt and pepper; sauté until vegetables are tender, but with a bite.
Add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, chili pepper, crab meat and mix in with vegetables. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta; mix thoroughly and heat through. Serve with lemon wedges and a drizzle of olive oil.

Makes 4-6 servings

Tags: asparagus, crab, easy, leeks, mushrooms, pasta, penne