Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry

Refreshing and slightly spicy, this Asian-inspired stir fry is both healthy and delicious. Simple to make, this dish is perfect with rice for a quick dinner after a long tiring day.

Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry | Cooking with a Wallflower

What I love about stir fry dishes are that they are so easy to make. In fact, you can substitute your ingredients with what you like. I used asparagus and shiitake mushrooms, but you can use broccoli, string beans, tofu, or whatever else you prefer. This dish is so easy to make. All you really have to do is add ingredients and stir until they’ve softened to your liking. See? Simple, right?

 

I’ll be honest. There are days when I’m so exhausted, or maybe just lazy, and don’t want to take long to make dinner. This recipe is perfect for that. It doesn’t take long to make, and it’s so delicious with rice. I actually had the asparagus and shiitake mushrooms stir fry with lemongrass fried rice, which is pictured below. It’ll be the next recipe!

Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry | Cooking with a Wallflower

First, wash the asparagus stalks and then chop off the bottom, about one centimeter. The bottom of asparagus is usually tough and hard to chew, that’s why we cut it off.

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Now, slice the asparagus into 1 ½ – 2 inch pieces. This is so the asparagus is in bite size pieces and is easy to stir. Slice the shiitake mushrooms into thin slices.

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In a medium sized pan, pour in the olive oil and allow it to heat over medium to high for about a minute. Add in the sliced asparagus and use a spatula to stir and mix the asparagus. You want to continuously do this for a few reasons. Since there are so many pieces of asparagus, you want to mix them so that the cooked ones will be moved to the top and the uncooked ones will move to the bottom, where it is hotter. You also don’t want your asparagus to burn. Pour about 1/8 cup water into the pan. This helps the asparagus cook evenly as well as becomes part of the sauce later.

Add in the shiitake mushrooms and stir to evenly mix them into the asparagus.

Now, add in the crushed red peppers, soy sauce, and chili paste with soy bean oil. Stir to evenly distribute the seasoning and sauce.

Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry | Cooking with a Wallflower

Cook for a few minutes, continuing to stir, until the asparagus and mushrooms have softened.

Plate the asparagus and shiitake mushroom stir fry and serve warm with rice.

Enjoy!

Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry | Cooking with a Wallflower

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Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry | Cooking with a Wallflower

 

31 comments

  1. anastassiabennett says:

    I had a long day yesterday, came home and decided to make this dish. I don’t like to eat heavy at night and this recipe was perfect to fill me up. It turned out very well. I also added Chinese five spices.
    Thanks again for your wonderful recipes!

  2. Skakuntala says:

    Looks so yummy and easy to do! I am going to get myself some chili paste (never saw that in my local grocery store!) and some soy bean oil! Can the soy bean oil be replaced with sesame oil?

    • Andrea | Cooking with a Wallflower says:

      Thank you! The one I used is a combination of chili paste and soy bean oil. It came together in one jar. You can use sesame oil, but it will give the dish a different taste. Sesame oil has a strong taste. If you decide to use sesame oil, just use a little bit. It sounds amazing though. I’ll have to try it and see =)

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