4 cup hot cooked brown rice
SAUCE
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cup water or vegetable stock
1 tbsp minced gingerroot
1 tsp (pref toasted) sesame oil
1/4 tsp dry crushed red pepper
1 dash white pepper
ND STEP
2 tbsp safflower oil
1 lb fresh asparagus *
4 scallions, chopped
1 sm sweet red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup cashews **
Directions
* woody parts of stems removed, tender part cut into 3" lengths (3
cups) ** dry-roasted and unsalted, or raw slivered almonds GARNISH:
mandarin orange sections and toasted sesame seeds, optional Cook or
reheat brown rice. In small bowl, combine soy sauce and cornstarch.
Stir in remaining sauce ingredients; set aside. In a wok or large
skillet, heat oil. Stir-fry asparagus, scallions, pepper, and garlic
until vegetables are crisp/tender. Stir sauce mixture; pour it over
the vegetables and stir until it is thickened and bubbly. Reduce
heat; fold in cashews. Cover and cook 1 minute, until cashews are
heated through. Serves 4-6. VARIATIONS: - 3-4 c broccoli florets may
be substituted for asparagus; or add other veggies such as sliced
mushrooms or thinly sliced carrots - with the cashews, gently stir in
1 lb firm tofu cut into 1/2" cubes - serve over pasta rather than
rice; buckwheat noodles are good
Servings: 4 servings
Asparagus Cashew Stir-Fry Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Chinese; Nut; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Written cooking instructions as a concept can be tracked back into history, in truth as far back into recorded history as the Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that maybe, sadly, these early cookbooks were just primitive pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing food.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe found, according to food historians is a collection of ancient tablets in the Sumerian language describing the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel exhilarated. During the time of the Roman Empire a roman called Apicius assembled a few documents showing how to cook the recipes prepared by his fellow Romans. In his works, Apicius tells us how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into appetizers, main meal and afters, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius describes how the cooks of Roman times used many different herbs, including some familiar names for example basil, fennel and parsley. As our culinary historical trip moves on a few more years there were a couple of books from the fourteenth century ; a cookery book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another named `Curye on Inglish`. Don`t be fooled by the titles though, these two books are unconnected to the curry that appears on menues today, but instead recipes for the types of meals prepared for the rich people of that period. In the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new foods, spices and herbs from the Middle-East, including spices like basil and coriander. These new culinary innovations created an eruption in manuscripts on food, some of which are kept safe in private libraries. Over the following few hundred years, the upper-class families of Wesstern Europe strove to serve the best banquets, and as a result the best chefs and their recipe collections were at a premium. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 19th century that formal cookery and recipe publications reached a high level of popularity. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, devoted their lives to assembling, verifying, and writing down recipes of the day. By the arrival of the 20th century, cookery publications were starting to become popular due to increased literacy, people having increased leisure time and having more money to spend. The introduction of television brings us celebrity TV chefs and the spin-off recipe books. And that brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, allowing everybody to access thousands of recipes like those on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Asparagus Cashew Stir Fry recipe.
