If you want to diversify the table with relatively inexpensive and unbroken snacks, asparagus in Korean (also called "fuju") is a good choice. Many departments of supermarkets offering salads have this one in assortment. It is in about the same high demand as kimchi cabbage or spicy carrots, but few people know that no less “right” Korean salads can be cooked at home. In particular, for fuju it is enough to buy a dry product of the same name, often offered in the department selling groceries. One of the most significant advantages in favor of home cooking is that you don’t put the flavor enhancer that producers of Korean salads like to abuse. And no admonitions that people who monitor their health and are not indifferent to what gets into their mouth will not buy such products, they do not act on them.
Pick your recipe
You will need
- - Dry soy asparagus (fuju);
- - carrot;
- - bow;
- - garlic;
- - vegetable oil;
- - soy sauce;
- - rice vinegar;
- - spices;
- - shredder;
- - cutting board
- - knife;
- - pan;
- - a frying pan;
- - salad bowl.
Instruction manual
1
Find dry soy asparagus on store shelves, it is usually sold in packs of 500 g each and looks like fairly thick ropes gathered in skeins. Read the label carefully: it’s difficult to make a mistake, but in order to choose the right product for sure, it is better to play it safe. The packaging is usually written on the composition. Those who have tried Korean asparagus at least once in their life understand that it has nothing to do with their namesake - asparagus. The fuju in question consists of only one ingredient. It is made in the traditional way - by removing the foam when boiling soy milk. Yes, there are many rumors that allegedly they use genetically modified seeds, etc., that make soy in many homes almost persona non grata. There is only one thing that can be said: no one is safe from GMOs, and for that matter, the use of such technologies in growing wheat is 1.3 times more common, as the World Health Organization warns about without concealment. This does not mean that we stopped buying wheat flour.
2
There, in the store, take a look at the assortment of seasonings. Perhaps you have a whole arsenal at home, but if not, think about what you would like to cook asparagus in Korean with. Fuju is a simple and rather tasteless product with a very porous structure. It allows you to absorb the flavors of additional ingredients used in the preparation of snacks. And there are many of them combined with soy asparagus. Each Korean mistress has her own recipe. (By the way, both Chinese, Japanese, and even Kazakh custodian of the outbreaks prepare soy asparagus, each in its own way and under the name adopted in her country, but this does not reduce the popularity of the product.)
3
At home, open the packaging and soak the asparagus in cold boiled water for a day. Some pre-break fuju in small pieces, but we recommend chopping it after it swells. Believe me, it will turn out much smoother and more accurate. Soy asparagus must be squeezed well before slicing. The main task - fuju should become like a sponge, as prepared as possible to absorb our marinade. However, there are other ways to prepare. For example, you can pour boiling water on the product and leave it under the lid for 2-3 hours. This time will be enough to soften and swell. Another way is to break into small pieces, and then boil in salted water for 15-20 minutes. after boiling. Our version does not require heat treatment, respectively, leaves fuju all the useful substances, of which there are many in the first place.
4
Make a marinade that will give asparagus in Korean the necessary piquancy and such a taste beloved by many. To do this, prepare soy sauce (unfortunately, it is very different, it is difficult to guess which one you have, and therefore it is almost impossible to give the exact proportions; an average of 250 ml of soaked fuzhu takes 20 ml). Add a tablespoon of peanut butter and rice vinegar, as well as a couple of chopped garlic cloves. For lack of peanut, you can take any vegetable oil, but not olive oil and it is better if it is cold pressed. Try, season with sugar and red hot pepper as you wish. If desired, add fried onions. If you decide to add fresh - take purple or even shallots. These are those varieties that do not have characteristic onion bitterness. Remember that asparagus itself is a product with an unexpressed taste, respectively, make the marinade a little more saturated than you would like to get. By varying the composition of Korean salad dressings, you can get a more spicy (sweet, salty, sour) snack.
5
Decide on any additional ingredients you want to add. The most common supplement is shredded carrots. But with her, too, everything is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. If you ever paid attention, you know that carrots for Korean snacks do not rub, but are shredded with a relatively long and very thin straw that has a square section. This form helps to maintain the maximum amount of juice inside each piece, which ultimately favorably affects the taste and texture of the salad. For fuju, chop carrots that way. If you don’t have a special grater, grind in any usual way, but for authentic asparagus in Korean try to get the right shredder. It is also good to add sesame seeds to this snack. They must be fried in a dry frying pan until they have a characteristic color and a slight nutty smell, and then cool. Mix all the Korean-style compounded asparagus, place it under the press and put in the refrigerator overnight.
6
Another cooking technology involves the following algorithm of actions. Prepare fuju and carrots as described above, then mix in a salad bowl. Chop 2-3 onions and a few cloves of garlic, fry 30-40 g of refined vegetable oil. Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, pre-prepared sesame seeds, season with hot pepper and when the mixture boils, pour it on asparagus. Further, just as under oppression - and the next day, this traditional Korean snack can be served at the table.
note
Try to add too much oil to the dressing. It must be balanced.
Useful advice
Use Korean style rice vinegar for asparagus. It is healthy and tastes perfect for this appetizer.