Recipes Singaporean Sautéed Asparagus with Ginger 5.0 (1,806) Add your rating & review Chef Bryant Ng uses a salted duck egg yolk in his sauce for grilled asparagus. Home cooks can get the same delicious effect with a creamy sauce made with hard-cooked egg yolk, cream, ginger, garlic and chiles. More Fast Asian Recipes By Bryant Ng Bryant Ng Won Best New Chef at: The Spice Table, Los Angeles Born: 1977; Los Angeles. Education: Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. Experience: La Folie, San Francisco; Campanile and Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles; Restaurant Daniel, New York City. Previous career: “Like a good Asian boy, I studied molecular-cell and developmental biology and graduated from UCLA with a degree in business administration. After college, I worked in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry.” How he got into cooking: “When I was growing up, my parents owned a typical Chinese-American restaurant in Los Angeles. I washed dishes and helped in the kitchen. When I realized that I didn’t want to stay in biotech for the rest of my life, I decided to explore cooking. The Paris Le Cordon Bleu had one of the shortest courses, which is what I was looking for. When I walked into the kitchen, it made sense—it came naturally.” Memorable cooking experience: Cooking eggs for his grandparents. “When I was young, they’d stay with us on weekends. The first time I cooked eggs for them, I put the eggs in the pan, then the onions afterward: Of course, the onions were crunchy. So I learned to cook the onions first—it was my first learning experience in the kitchen.” Biggest influences: Chef Nancy Silverton of Pizzeria Mozza. “She has incredible dedication to everything she does and the people she works with. She’s hands-on. She was right next to us when Pizzeria Mozza opened, slicing pizzas.” Pet peeve: Dirty, unfolded kitchen towels. “I don’t know what it is—maybe I’m neurotic. When I see a dirty unfolded towel, it gets to my core. It irks me and grosses me out.” Ingredient obsession: All things lamb. “I’ve been obsessed with lamb recently—the liver, the shoulder, even the head. I’m cooking it whole, making terrines, pâtés. I like lamb that tastes like lamb—when its good, it’s delicate, almost like veal.” Most memorable meal: The Satay Club in Singapore. “Two of my grandparents lived in Singapore; the Satay Club is a hawker center. When I visited as a kid, it had a street-level grimy soulfulness you could only get from eating on the street. All the vendors cooking different foods—the Indian guy making roti, the Malaysian guy making satay—it all still sticks in my mind. Singapore has a crazy-intense humidity, which carries the aromas. It’s a visceral experience that still influences me.” Essential tool: “I have a satay grill. It’s about six feet wide, three feet deep. “When you walk into the restaurant, it’s the first thing you see, which is very intentional. I use almond wood and charcoal—it’s a chef’s dream.” Fantasy splurge: Vietnam. “My wife, Kim, is from Vietnam. She talks about eating in the countryside. In the States, we talk about farm-to-table; in Vietnam, they don’t use that term, but the food is ground-to-table, and they call it dinner. It’s such a different experience than you have in a more developed nation.” Cheap eat: Bonano’s Chicken, a Peruvian restaurant in L.A. “They do pollo a la brasa—a traditional dish of spit-roasted chicken over wood. It’s seasoned and cooked so perfectly, and it’s got the right amount of smoke—not too much or too little. It’s perfect. And the blood-clam ceviche is sweet and briny.” Favorite beer: Anything from Craftsman Brewing Company in Pasadena, California. “Mark Jilg opened Craftsman about 20 years ago. He had worked at jet-propulsion laboratories. Anything he brews is so thoughtful, intelligent and technically sound.” What his next restaurant would be: “I’d open a kind of B&B and just serve lunch. I’d still cook and be creative, but I wouldn’t have to serve hundreds of people a day. Maybe five, and maybe just lunch. It would be nice and comforting.” Food trend he most dislikes: Overuse of the term farm-to-table. “Philosophically, I love it. I practice it, the majority of my colleagues believe in it and practice it. What concerns me is when people just pay lip service to it, or a PR firm gives someone that label.” Favorite cookbook: The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. “I don’t cook this kind of cuisine, but the recipes are so well researched. Some of the techniques are so simple, so intelligent. Judy Rogers is not afraid to go against convention. She talks about stocks and how it’s blasphemous to add salt—then she sprinkles in salt. Now I add salt to my stock.” Twitter hero: Jonathan Gold (@thejgold). Favorite food-related app: “Recently, Food & Wine’s Best New Chef app. And Chefs Feed [an app that chronicles the places top chefs eat]. It’s a combination of high- and low-end cuisine and you get to see what everyone else is eating.” Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 24, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Jonny Valiant Total Time: 35 mins Yield: 6 Ingredients 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for grilling 1 Thai chile, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, plus about 20 thin matchsticks 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons 1 hard-cooked egg yolk, mashed to a paste 1/4 cup heavy cream Salt Freshly ground pepper 3/4 pound medium asparagus 1 Chinese sausage link (2 to 3 ounces), thinly sliced (see Note) 1 tablespoon sauerkraut, squeezed dry 1 scallion, thinly sliced Directions In a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil. Add the Thai chile, minced ginger and half of the garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and swirl until melted. Add the egg yolk and whisk until blended. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and simmer just until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan; oil the grates. Grill the asparagus, turning occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a work surface and cut them into 2-inch lengths. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the Chinese sausage, sauerkraut, ginger matchsticks and the remaining garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and scallion and stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the sauce. Transfer the asparagus to a platter and drizzle with the remaining sauce. Serve right away. Notes Chinese sausage is available at Asian markets and in the refrigerated section of many large supermarkets. Suggested Pairing Bright, grassy Sauvignon Blanc from France’s Loire Valley. Rate it Print