This recipe for steamed asparagus is amazing.
Steamed asparagus on it’s own is delicious and one of the easiest vegetable recipes you can make. Add this fantastic ginger sauce and you’ll be in asparagus heaven.
The sauce takes just a minute to prepare and packs SO much flavor. It’s a simple mix of soy sauce, fresh ginger and sesame oil.
Sesame oil is one of my favorite flavor add ins. Especially toasted sesame oil. Add just a small amount of it to any stir fry and you’ll feel like you are eating in your favorite Chinese restaurant.
The sesame oil, mixed with the grated fresh ginger brings a real brightness to this asparagus recipe. And asparagus pairs so well with ginger.
It’s also quick and easy to make, so it’s perfect for entertaining or a busy weeknight dinner.
Here is how it looks when it’s done.
The images at the top of the page and below show the asparagus with ginger sauce served with baked haddock. Pour the sauce over the haddock as well. It will taste amazing.
Preparing Asparagus for Cooking
Asparagus has quite a woody end. It holds up the asparagus spear nicely while it’s in the ground, but it isn’t good to eat. To prepare the asparagus for cooking you have to remove that woody, fibrous stem end.
You can remove the ends by either cutting them off or breaking them. Breaking the end off works well because you can easily break the stem at the point where it becomes too tough. Just hold the asparagus spear a little below the top end with one hand and have the other hand near the bottom of the stem end.
If you slowly bend the asparagus you will see that there is a point where it wants to bend and break. That spot is where you can break it off or cut it. It’s usually about 2 inches above the bottom of the stem.
You can keep the stem ends to flavor your next vegetable broth. I sometimes keep all of my vegetable cut ends and clean scraps in a plastic zip bag in the freezer. It’s great to be able to make an easy vegetable stock when you want one.
This recipe is vegan and gluten free but also one that everyone will enjoy.
Please note that if you really need this to be totally gluten free, you need to make sure that your soy sauce is gluten free. Some of them are not.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know how it turned out for you in the comments area below.
Steamed Asparagus Recipe with Ginger Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus, cleaned
For the Ginger Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger , grated
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the asparagus spears by cutting or breaking off the tough ends.
- Steam the asparagus spears until they are just tender and bright green, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain them immediately and place them in a dish that will allow you to add in the dressing and mix it.
- While the asparagus is steaming, mix together the soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk it until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the grated ginger, sesame oil and hot sauce (if you are using it). Whisk in the vegetable oil until the vinaigrette thickens slightly. Pour the vinaigrette over the asparagus and toss it all gently to combine.
- Toast the sesame seeds by placing them in a dry frying pan and heating them just until they begin to change color.
- Transfer the dressed asparagus to a serving platter and sprinkle it with the toasted sesame seeds as a garnish and for fantastic taste.
- Serves 4, but easily multiplied to serve as many as needed.
Nutrition
I just love this steamed asparagus recipe. It’s simple and really elevates the flavor of this already amazing vegetable.
Try serving it as a side dish with any Asian flavored main course. It’s also great with baked fish or chicken.
Browse all of our asparagus recipes here.
If you like this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you share it on social media and add a comment below. Thanks.
I’m not one who makes a lot of fancy sauces for everything, but this one is super easy and really good.