Today in many shops and supermarkets you can see an unusual product, which we sell under the name soy asparagus. Probably, because of the name, some mistakenly believe that this is one of the varieties of asparagus - a plant belonging to the family of the same name. But in fact, soy asparagus is a product that is produced artificially in the processing of soy milk.
It is believed that soy asparagus was first produced in China. This product was served at the imperial table as an elixir of youth. The Chinese version of the product name is Yuba.
To be precise, a yuba is nothing more than a foam taken from the surface of soy milk during its boiling. The removed foam is dried and a semi-finished product is obtained, which must be soaked in water or boiled before use. Salads are mainly prepared from soy asparagus, but it can be used both as a side dish and as an additive to soup. It should be noted that soy asparagus is a low-calorie product, so it can be advised to include those who want to lose weight in their diet. At the same time, yuba is quite nutritious and tastes good. Soy asparagus contains a lot of vegetable protein, which in its value is practically not inferior to an animal, and is absorbed much better than the latter. Soy asparagus is used not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine. It is used as an anti-inflammatory agent with a mild diuretic effect. Using a decoction of soy asparagus helps to normalize blood pressure and improve heart function. In addition, if you use this decoction for washing, then you can get rid of acne.
So, soy asparagus is a healthy, and also very inexpensive product. But how to cook soy asparagus ?
Here is one of the simplest Korean soy asparagus salad recipes. First of all, you need to soak the semi-finished product in water. If there is time, then it is better to do it in advance, that is, soak the asparagus at night or for a day, using cold water. But if you need to cook the salad faster, then fill the yuba with boiling water for 30-40 minutes or boil for 10-15 minutes. Asparagus sticks after such processing should swell and become soft. We take the asparagus out of the water and cut into pieces 2-3 cm long, put in a bowl.
Spices add flavor to asparagus salad. Therefore, red pepper and ground coriander must be added to this salad. Often, Chinese lotus seasoning is added to this salad, which consists mainly of a flavor enhancer - sodium glutamate. Or you can go the easier way, and season the salad with ready-made seasoning for Korean carrots. In addition to spices, in a salad you need to add 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce (per 100 grams of dried asparagus), two or three chopped cloves of garlic and a spoonful of table vinegar. It is best, of course, to use rice vinegar, but you can get by with the usual.
We heat the vegetable oil in a pan and fry on it coarsely chopped onions until brown. We take out the onions and discard, and pour the hot oil into a bowl with asparagus, mix everything well. Now you need to let the salad stand and marinate, so after cooling the oil, let the salad be refrigerated and let stand for at least a couple of hours.
Such a salad can be prepared with the addition of vegetables - carrots, fresh cucumber, which must be cut into thin strips (the easiest way is to grate the vegetables on a special grater).
And as the main dish or side dish, fried soy asparagus can be made. The preparation of this dish also begins by soaking or boiling the dry convenience food.
For 100 grams of dried asparagus we will take one carrot and onion, about fifty grams of vegetable oil, a couple of cloves of garlic (lovers of this vegetable can take more), a spoonful of soy sauce, salt, red pepper, herbs. If desired, in this dish you can add green beans, about 200 grams (you can take fresh-frozen).
Cut the soaked asparagus, chop the onion and carrot. In a pan, heat the oil, spread the onions, after 5 minutes - carrots and green beans. Fry it all together for another five minutes, pour asparagus into a pan, salt, stir, reduce heat and simmer, covering, for 5-7 minutes. Now we start dressing our dish, add soy sauce, spices, garlic and herbs to vegetables. We mix everything, turn off the heat, and leave the dish under the lid for another five minutes, so that it absorbs the aroma of spices.
Fried asparagus can be served as a main course, then you can add a side dish of brown or ordinary rice to it. And as a side dish, fried asparagus perfectly complements meat or fish dishes.