Stir-fried Pork And Asparagus With Fish Sauce

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Title: STIR-FRIED PORK AND ASPARAGUS WITH FISH SAUCE
Categories: Chinese, Pork
Yield: 4 servings

1/4 lb Boneless pork butt
12 md Asparagus spears
1/2 ts Fresh ginger root, minced
1 tb Peanut oil
1/3 c Chicken stock
1 pn Sugar
1 ts Fish sauce (OR
2 ts Oyster sauce
Thin cornstarch paste

This is a basic stir-fried vegetable and meat dish.
Adding just a touch of fish sauce lends an interesting
dimension to the taste.

Preparation: Slice pork butt (or comparable boneless
pork) across the grain into strips 2" by 1/4" by 1/8"
thick. Wash and trim tough white skin from asparagus.
Cut asparagus into 2 1/2" segments. If asparagus is
thick (3/4" or more), cut on bias so it will cook
quickly and be balanced in size with pork strips.

Stir-frying: Heat peanut oil in wok until it just
begins to smoke. Add pork strips and stir-fry about 1
minute until no longer pink. Add asparagus and
stir-fry briskly for another minute. Before asparagus
turns bright green, add ginger, chicken stock and
sugar; keep stir- ring. When liquid boils, reduce heat
to medium, add fish sauce (not oyster sauce, though),
cover and simmer for about 1 minute or until asparagus
is cooked but still firm. Uncover, turn up heat, and
push ingredients out of liquid. Dribble in cornstarch
paste, stirring continuously until liquid thickens.
You may need 1 to 2 tsp of paste. Recombine
ingredients. Serve.

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