Satay Fried Sea Bass and Asparagus

Satay BBQ sauce is delicious! This sauce is usually used as a dip when having a Chinese hot pot dinner but it is absolutely fantastic when stir fried with vegetables or meat. I use it as my secret weapon ingredient for that extra zing when I want a dish that's easy to make but tastes like I laboured for hours over. The asparagus provided an almost neutral, light balance to the slight spiciness and saltiness of the bbq sauce. The bbq taste fully penetrated the fish chunks and were perfectly cooked - creamy and smooth.


The magic ingredient





Satay Fried Sea Bass and Asparagus

Ingredients
1lb asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2" sections
1lb sea bass, fresh or frozen, cut into 2" chunks
1 tablespoon oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons bullshead bbq sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/8 cup water

Directions
1. Heat oil in pan and add garlic. Cook until fragrant.
2. Add asparagus and cook for a minute. Add water and cover for 2 minutes.
3. Add sea bass chunks and stir to mix with asparagus. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add bbq sauce and stir to coat. Cover for another minute, then add soy sauce and chili garlic sauce. Taste and add more soy sauce or bbq sauce as desired.
5. Plate and serve with fluffy rice.

Steamed Silk Tofu Topped with Shrimp and Asparagus

Tofu is something I really love (seems like I love everything doesn't it?). Some people say it's tasteless but I think tofu has a naturally nutty taste, plus it absorbs the taste of any sauce it's cooked in extremely well. There are so many different types of tofu available as well that you can create endless dishes using just tofu as an ingredient. I'm partial to soft tofu because I love the silky smooth, melt in your mouth texture. I used regular soft tofu but you could use egg tofu as well for a more eggy taste.


Sweet yummy, ooey-gooey sauce


Steamed Silk Tofu with Shrimp and Asparagus

Ingredients
1 tube soft tofu
10 shrimp, peeled
5 asparagus shoots, ends trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 tablespoon oil

Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
1 teaspoon mirin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water

Directions
1. Mix sauce ingredients together, except for cornstarch slurry. Set aside.
2. Slice tofu into 1" thick slices and place on a heatproof plate. Place a steaming rack inside a wok or a large pot and fill water to 2" below steaming tray.
3. Heat water to boiling and place plate with tofu on steaming tray. Steam for about 5 minutes until tofu is hot. Drain water that is released from tofu.
4. Heat oil in pan and add shrimp and asparagus. Cook for 2 minutes until shrimp is almost cooked and asparagus is tender.
5. Add sauce ingredients and coat shrimp and asparagus well with sauce.
6. Cook for another minute until shrimp is fully cooked. Add cornstarch slurry and stir quickly as the sauce will thicken. If you want it more saucy, add another 1-2 tablespoons of water. If you'd like the sauce thicker, add more cornstarch slurry.
7. Top steamed tofu with shrimp and asparagus sauce and sprinkle green onions and serve hot.