Pork, Asparagus Dish Has Taste, Look that Are Both Refreshing Amid Muggy Weather

By Ryo Kato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:15 JST, July 28, 2024

The muggy season has arrived, and cooking expert Ryo Imai suggests making a pork and asparagus with a starchy ume plum sauce dish that has a refreshing taste and look. It’s a perfect fit for the weather.

The dish is easy to cook. All that is necessary is to pour a starchy sauce made from ume plum paste and dashi broth over boiled, tender pork and crunchy in-season asparagus.

“You don’t want to cook when it’s so hot, right? Meals that can be made quickly are the best for this time of year,” Imai said. “The aroma of the ume plum and dashi also helps stimulate your appetite.”

Asparagus in season has a great smell. When peeling it, peel thinly to make sure that the yellow-green color remains on the surface.

“The part near the skin has flavor,” Imai said. “Since in-season asparagus is soft, you don’t have to peel it thickly.”

Then, cut the asparagus into large pieces to retain the vegetable’s texture.

Add salt and sake to the water when boiling the ingredients to add flavor. Imai said the pork should not be put into the water all at once because the water’s temperature will drop, which increases the boiling time.

“If you carefully put two or three slices of the meat in the water at a time, it is less likely to become tough,” Imai said. He advises thoroughly spreading out the slices and boiling them over low heat to minimize scum and retain the meat’s umami. Also, drain off the water to prevent the flavor from becoming bland.

The sauce should be not so thick to make it easier to eat. “I personally prefer strong bonito broth, but adjust the strength to your preference,” Imai said.

The sauce begins to thicken as it is heated. But make sure to let it simmer to allow the potato starch to cook out. Otherwise, the sauce is likely to become thinner in time.

The combination of the asparagus’ green color and the light red hue of the plum paste sauce looks great. By eating the meat and vegetables mixed well with the sauce, you can enjoy the pleasant smell of the plum and dashi.

The dish is thoroughly satisfying, too, as the large pieces of asparagus have a great texture to chew. This easy-to-make dish will make you want to cook it again and again.

Chilled tofu with an okra and miso sauce can be an ideal side dish to accompany the pork and asparagus main course.

Pork and asparagus with starchy ume plum sauce

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 150 grams pork shoulder (shabu-shabu style)
• 6 asparagus stalks
• 1 ume plum (pasted)
• 1 tbsp negi green onions (finely chopped)
• 150 milliliters dashi broth






Directions:

1. Remove 2 centimeters from the hard end of the asparagus. Peel the lower half of the asparagus and cut into pieces 7-8 centimeters long.

2. Boil 1 liter of water in a pot. Add 1 tablespoon of sake and ⅓ teaspoon of salt. Add the asparagus and boil over low heat for about 2 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the heat with chopsticks. Drain and let the asparagus cool. Keep the cooking liquid in the pot.

3. Put the pot over very low heat and add 2-3 pork slices at a time, ensuring that the slices are spread out. When the color changes, drain in a colander.

4. Arrange the pork and asparagus on a plate.

5. Put the dashi broth, ume plum paste, negi green onions, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of mirin and 2 tablespoons of potato starch in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer while stirring until thickened. Pour over the pork and asparagus.








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Chilled tofu with okra and miso sauce



Ingredients (Serves 2):

• ½ block silky kinu tofu
• 5 okras



Directions:

1. Drain the silky kinu tofu.

2. Boil okras for about 30 seconds. Drain and let the okra cool.

3. Roughly chop the okra and place in a bowl. Add 1½ teaspoons of miso, 1 teaspoon each of sugar, vinegar and sesame oil, and then mix to make the sauce.

4. Top the tofu with the sauce to make a filling side dish.