Next time you start taking asparagus for granted,
make like Nobu Matsuhisa and fry it.(And not in the state-fair, we-can-fry-anything way, or even like tempura. There’s no batter to get in the way here.) By taking away the coating, which would crisp but leave the asparagus to steam underneath, you expose the surfaces of the stalks themselves to the slap of hot oil. The skin ripples and shines like that of a striped bass. The tips frizzle, each little purple talon spreads and crisps up all around the edges. The stalks turn vivid green and tender in just a minute or two under the oil. (And you don’t need much oil at all—just a couple of inches in a pot wide enough to fit your spears.)
Here’s the kicker: Asparagus loves oil. “Because
the chemical that makes asparagus taste like asparagus is water-soluble,” Thomas Keller writes in Ad Hoc at Home, “we
gravitate toward other ways to cook them besides blanching them in water, which
diminishes some of their flavor.” That asparagus-flavor chemical isn’t soluble
in oil, however, so its sweetness and grassy flavor aren’t sapped in an oily
bath, but concentrated.
Serves 2 to 4
MISO DRESSING
3 ounces (90g) white miso or red
grain miso (akatsubu miso)
A dab of garlic paste, or 1 small
clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ cup (120ml) grapeseed
oil
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (90ml)
rice vinegar
A little sugar syrup, made with
equal parts water and sugar (optional)
3 inches (about 7.5cm)
white part of 1 leek
Oil, for deep-frying (grapeseed,
peanut, or even olive oil)
9 (or more) large spears green
asparagus, about 9 ounces (270g)
1 To make the dressing, combine
the miso with the garlic, soy sauce, grapeseed oil, and vinegar. Check the taste
and add the sugar syrup, if desired.
2 Slash the leek lengthwise to open and discard the
inner core. Wash off the sand between the layers under running cold water. Cut
into thin shreds. Pat dry well.
3 Pour 2 inches (5cm) of oil into a pot wide enough to
hold the asparagus. Heat the oil for deep-frying to about 300°F (150°C).
Deep-fry the leek until it begins to brown. Scoop the fried leek out with a
slotted spoon or spider and drain on a wire rack in warm spot in the kitchen for
up to 1 to 2 hours.
4 Reheat the oil up to 320°F to 340°F (160°C to 170°C).
Trim off the hard bottom of each asparagus and deep-fry in the oil for 1 to 2
minutes, until the asparagus is bright green and just tender.
5 To serve, cut each length in half crosswise or leave
them whole. Spoon the miso dressing on a plate and stack the asparagus on it.
Top with the fried leek. Serve immediately.
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