Stir-fried asparagus with prawns and shimeiji mushrooms

Ingredients (serves 3 to 4):
1 packet FairPrice Pasar Organic Asparagus
8 grey prawns, peeled and de-veined
1 small packet shimeiji mushrooms, washed and cut above the roots
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp FairPrice oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp water

For the paste, pound together:
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tbsp coriander roots, thoroughly washed
2 red chillies

Method:
1. Wash the asparagus and cut about 1cm off the base of the stems and discard. Cut the remaining asparagus into three approximately 5cm pieces each. Set aside.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat.
3. Add the prawns and paste and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for another 3 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender.
5. Serve hot with steamed white rice.

Tips:
Recipe uses FairPrice’s Pasar Organic Asparagus ($3 per pkt of 200g) available at selected FairPrice supermarkets.

Asparagus is one of the most nutritionally well-balanced vegetables in existence. It is rich in folic acid, which has been shown to help prevent neural defects in babies. In fact, a 150g serving of asparagus provides 60 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, which is also vital for blood cell formation, growth and the prevention of liver disease.

High in fibre and low on sodium, asparagus is also lean on calorie content, which makes it an ideal vegetable for the health-conscious. It is also a good source of potassium and thiamin, and is one of the richest sources of rutin, a compound that strengthens our capillary walls.

You can also replace the prawns with thinly sliced beef and use shiitake or oyster mushrooms in place of shimeiji.

Recipe source: Today newspaper (4 Sep 2008)

Steamed shrimp and tofu

Ingredients (serves 4):
12-15 medium-sized prawns, shelled and deveined, keeping prawn shells
2 packs silken tofu, sliced into fours
2 stalks spring onion

Sauce:
4 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce

Method:
1. Marinate prawns with a light sprinkling of sugar, a pinch of salt and cornflour for 10 minutes, then set aside.
2. Arrange tofu on a plate for steaming.
3. Cut the white base of the spring onion from the green part. The white portion is to be steamed together with the prawns for added flavour. Shred the green part for topping later.
4. Put prawn shells and prawns on a plate to be steamed together. Place tofu on a separate plate. Steam prawns and tofu - preferably on 2 levels of the steaming pot - for 5 minutes until tofu is heated through and the prawns and shells turn pink. Discard prawn shells.
5. To prepare sauce, drain gravy from plate of prawns into a pan. Heat until reduced to half. Add sauce ingredients and heat for 1 minute.
6. To serve, put prawns on top of tofu pieces. Pour sauce over and top with shredded spring onion.

Recipe source: Women's Weekly magazine