Asparagus Rolls with Pork is a very quick and simple dish, perfect as a starter as well as a side. Teriyaki sauce makes it a Japanese-style asparagus roll.
- 9 thin asparagus spears (about 125g/4.4oz, note 1)
- 9 very thin pork slices (note 2)
- 1 tbsp oil
- Decorative cucumber – opposing cut (note 3)
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Combine flavouring sauce ingredients in a jar or a small bowl.
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Remove hard part of the asparagus stem at lower end and cut to half equal length.
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Boil water in a pan, add a pinch of salt and blanch asparagus for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain and cool down.
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On a cutting board, spread a slice of pork diagonally, then place the top half and the bottom half of asparagus pieces (note 1) at the end of the pork slice closest to you. Ensure the side edge of the pork slice lines up with the edge of the asparagus sticks.
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Lift the end of the pork slice closest to you and roll the asparagus tightly away from you. Keep rolling until the end, adjusting the angle of the pork slice so that the pork just covers the end of the asparagus sticks.
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Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the rest of asparagus sticks.
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Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat and place asparagus wrapped in pork, facing the ending side of the pork down.
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Sauté for about 1 minute until the bottom part of the pork is lightly browned (note 4). Turn them over and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute until the pork is lightly browned.
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Reduce the heat to medium low and add the flavouring sauce.
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Roll the asparagus to coat them with the sauce while the sauce is bubbling and condensing. When the sauce is almost evaporated, remove the pan from the heat.
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Serve with decorative cucumber pieces if using.
1. My asparagus was very thin (about 1cm/⅜" in diameter) so I used two sticks to make a roll. If your asparagus is thick, use one stick per roll.
2. My bunch of asparagus had 9 spears, hence I made 9 rolls. Adjust the number of slices required based on number of spears you use.
9 slices of pork loin weighed 125g/4.4oz and the amount of sauce is just right for the amount of pork.
You can buy frozen thinly sliced pork at HApanese/Asian grocery stores. They might be sold as shabu-shabu pork.
3. How to make opposing cut cucumber (違い切り, chigai-giri).
You can make this using a Japanese cucumber or Lebanese cucumber, which are about 2.5cm/1" in diameter.
(1) Cut cucumber into a 4cm long drum. Place the cucumber drum horizontally.
(2) Point a knife in the middle on your side of the cucumber and push it through to the other side in the centre.
(3) Slide the knife horizontally to one end of the cucumber, leaving 1cm uncut at the end.
(4) Remove the knife, turn the direction of the blade around. Put the knife through the incision and cut the other half of the cucumber, leaving 1cm uncut at the end. You should have a horizontal incision in the centre of the cucumber.
(5) Cut the cucumber from the top down diagonally only half way, ensuring that the starting point of the diagonal cut matches with the end of the incision made earlier.
(6) Turn the cucumber over and cut the other side of the cucumber diagonally in the same way.
(7) Pull two parts of cucumber apart to make two chigai-giri cucumber.
4. Time to cook through the pork depends on the thickness of the pork around the asparagus. Since the pork slice is very thin and you only wrap two layers of pork around, it shouldn’t take long to cook through.
5. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 103g calories: 140kcal fat: 8.2g (13%) saturated fat: 1g (5%) Trans fat: 0.1g polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g monounsaturated fat: 4.1g cholesterol: 27mg (9%) sodium: 314mg (13%) potassium: 258mg (7%) carbohydrates: 4.4g (1%) dietary fibre: 0.9g (4%) sugar: 3g protein: 10g vitamin a: 6.3% vitamin c: 3.9% calcium: 1.2% iron: 6.7%