Vic Williams: Stir-fried asparagus with pork

200g pork steaks or fillets
1/2 tsp each thin soy sauce, sugar and salt
1 tsp dry white wine or sherry
1/2 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tsp water
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
6-8 spears fresh asparagus
2 medium carrots
1/2 small tin pre-sliced bamboo shoots
2 medium-sized flat mushrooms
2 tbsps peanut oil
1/2 tsp each sugar, salt and Chinese oyster sauce
1 scant tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Method:

Slice the pork in very thin slices, about 4cm x 2cm (you will find it easier if you part-freeze the meat to stiffen it). Mix the soy sauce with the sugar, salt, wine, cornflour/water paste and sesame oil in a bowl and add the pork. Mix well.

Peel the onion, cut in half then into thin slices. Part-crush, peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel the asparagus stalks downwards from a point 1cm below the start of the "flower" head, then snap off the bottom section of each stalk. Place the peelings and off-cuts in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water, and simmer together while you continue the preparation. Cut the spear ends into 2cm lengths. Peel the carrots and cut into 1/2cm x 4cm sticks. Drain the sliced bamboo shoots. Wipe the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel, break off and discard the stems and slice the caps thinly. Drain the simmering asparagus off-cuts, discarding the solid bits but retaining the water.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large frypan to medium heat and add the onion, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the garlic, stir quickly, then the pork. Cook on medium heat for three minutes, stirring continually, then remove.

If there are hard black bits on the bottom of the wok or frypan scrub them out. Add a little fresh peanut oil if necessary, then stir-fry the vegetables for a minute or so. Add the second lot of sugar and salt, the oyster sauce and the water from the asparagus off-cuts. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Finally, return the pork to the mixture and thicken with cornflour and water.

* Serves 4 with boiled rice