Steps

1. Trim the tough woody ends of the asparagus. Peel the lower half with a peeler and cut into 2-3cm diagonal pieces.
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2. Add 200ml Taihaku Sesame Oil to a frying pan.
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3. Heat the pan over low to medium heat. While the oil is still cool, add 20g minced garlic and 20g minced ginger.
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4. Once the garlic and ginger are fragrant, add 120g whitebait.
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5. Add 40g thinly sliced leek and 1 sliced green chili pepper (optional), and stir-fry together.
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6. In a separate bowl, combine 10g miso and 1 tbsp Cooking Sake (Rice Wine) and dissolve the miso.
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7. After stir-frying the ingredients in the pan for 2-3 minutes, add the 3-4 diagonally cut asparagus stalks and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring. **Tip:** This is delicious with seasonal wild mountain vegetables (like Udo or Fuki)! Adjust preparation based on the ingredient; some may require desalting or parboiling. Asparagus can be cooked directly from raw.
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8. Gradually add the dissolved miso and rice wine mixture, stirring to combine.
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9. Just before turning off the heat, add a little granulated sugar and stir to add depth. **Tip:** Adjust the amount of sugar based on the saltiness of the whitebait.
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10. Once cooled to room temperature, transfer to a clean jar and store in the refrigerator. The flavors will meld and become even more delicious the next day.
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