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Asparagus with Wasabi-Mayonnaise Dip

Here’s a quick and semi-nutritious appetizer. I had this recipe sitting in my “on deck” file for about 2 years now. The on deck file is the pile of recipes I’ve clipped or printed out with the intentions of trying. I am determined to start chipping away at the pile, so here is my first chip.

I really didn’t know what to expect but it was a huge success. Actually, the asparagus ran out so everyone started dipping the pita chips which were intended for the hummus.

One tip, Wasabi pastes vary. I made the first batch using Wasabi powder and creating a paste. It was fairly mild so I used 4 teaspoons in the recipe. Today I decided I would alter this recipe a tad and try make Wasabi Coleslaw. I bought the Wasabi paste from the Chinese food counter at Shopright and it was a lot thicker and a lot stronger than what I used the first time, so I only used 2 teaspoons. I found some black sesame seeds on sale so decided they would be a nice finishing touch. I think I will add water chestnuts before serving. Next time I also will go a little more sparingly on the sauce. A little too drowned for my taste but you get the picture.

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs. thin to medium asparagus
1 cup mayonnaise
4 tsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 tsp. lime juice
2 – 4 tsp. wasabi paste

Blanche the asparagus in 2 batches in a large saucepan of boiling salted water 1 – 2 minutes.
Drain and submerge in ice bath. Drain and pat dry.

Whisk together mayo, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, and wasabi paste until sugar is dissolved.

Coleslaw:
Add 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar to sauce
1 bag prepared coleslaw
1 can Water chestnuts, drained
Black Sesame Seeds

Sunday, April 20th, 2008, by Deborah Smith, Executive Editor and is filed under "Appetizers, Vegetarian ". You can leave a response here, or send a Trackback from your own site.