Contrast makes chicken stir-fry dish come alive

By Carol Mighton Haddix

Departing from the norm can spark interest.

Stir-fry is one fine standby. With quick chopping, mixing up a simple sauce, then cooking over the highest heat possible, a stir-fry dish dashes to completion well within 40 minutes. And it lends itself to creative variations. Like using whatever leftovers lurk in the fridge. Or changing from a white rice base to black. Or adding the best veggie from the farmers market, such as the now-in-season asparagus. A standby, yes, but certainly not same-old, same-old.

Menu:

Asian pork and asparagus with black rice

Chopped salad of daikon and oranges

Chinese custard tarts

Tips:

Leftover pork or chicken roasts can work here; just add the julienned cooked meat at the end of cooking.

Try baby bok choy when asparagus is out of season.

Beverage suggestion

Serve this gingery dish with a pale ale, such as Two Brothers The Bitter End.

ASIAN PORK AND ASPARAGUS WITH BLACK RICE

Start stir-frying about 8 minutes before the rice is done cooking.

13‚Ñ4 cups water

1 cup black or red rice

1‚Ñ8 teaspoon salt

1 can (14 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon each: honey, cornstarch

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 piece (2 inches long) ginger root, finely chopped

6 boneless pork chops, thinly sliced

1 small bunch asparagus, trimmed, sliced into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal

Combine water, rice and salt in a saucepan; cover. Heat to a boil; lower heat to a simmer. Cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the broth, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch and sesame oil in a small bowl.

Heat a wok over high heat when rice is almost done. Add the vegetable oil; heat to almost smoking. Add garlic and ginger; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add pork; stir-fry until starting to brown, 2 minutes. Remove to platter. Add asparagus to wok; stir-fry 2 minutes.

Stir the broth mixture; add to wok. Cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Return pork and its juices to wok; stir. Cover; lower heat to medium-low. Cook until pork is done and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Serve over black rice.

Yield: 8 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 262 calories, 37 percent of calories from fat, 11 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 24 g carbohydrates, 18 g protein, 429 mg sodium, 2 g fiber