Wok-Fried Asparagus With Walnuts Recipe (2024)

Oh. My. Gosh. This is the best thing I have made in a long time, and honestly I make delicious suppers often! ;) I had to make my own 5 spice (we live in a rural area) and it was unbelievably fragrant and delicious and more than worth the effort. I added shrimp (because we are on the coast so why not) and it was beyond fabulous. My family, including teens, loved loved loved!

I think that this is a great recipe for people who don't really like asparagus; nice flavors, but the spices overwhelm the unique flavor of fresh picked farmers' market asparagus. Next time I would make it with green beans, or Chinese long beans. I would also add a teaspoon of rice vinegar (or 2t of white wine) for a bit of acidity.

Didn't have walnuts so subbed pecans. This was delicious. Definitely will make again.

Next time I will chop up the walnut halves so they are distributed throughout.

Really good. Don't add the nuts or soy sauce until the very end, to keep everything crunchy. My one quibble would be that it lacks a "high note": next time I'll try finishing it with a squeeze of lime or lemon.

If you cut on the diagonal you'll get the full flavor of the asparagus. I saw this on the Dinah Shore show. A Chicago chef, Chef Louie, demonstrated.

This was a lovely balance of flavors and quick to put together. I didn't have a fresh chile, so I used a little hot chili paste. Chives from my garden subbed for the scallions. As I stir-fried the asparagus after adding the seasonings, I added a small amount of water to keep the spices from burning. (I didn't make a full recipe, and the wok was hot.)

"Snap off and discard bottoms of asparagus"! Really, no, peel the bottom half, it's easy, and cook just like the rest. Read Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1 pp.434-435. Who wants to waste asparagus? I use a vegetable peeler (Julia says to use a paring knife) and take off the tough outer flesh, then the asparagus is ready for whatever method of preparation you care to use.

Almonds work too and for a a more buttery texture cashews or macadamias.. basically any nut will do. Yummy recipe indeed

OMG: This is on the hit list.
I believe you can change it up with french green beans for asparagus.
I used extra garlic. One serrano chili was enough! Next time I'd do more walnuts, and cut them a bit smaller. Used black pepper as I don't have Sichuan peppercorns. Worked just fine. Amazingly delicious

I'm not familiar with 5 spice powder. What did you use to make your own?

Using green beans and adding shrimp, we loved this. Because we're wary of too much sweetness, we used only about 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar; that was plenty.

You could try sugar snap peas or green beans (maybe blanch the beans first). I think small broccoli or cauliflower florets would work, too.

So, I made this last night for a friend struggling with depression, which lately has made it difficult for them to enjoy or even to taste most food. I increased all the spices and flavorings, and doubled the walnuts for more protein. And, they enjoyed it! They had a second helping, which is really rare these days. The flavors are strong and unusual; the sesame oil and green onions at the end are especially great.

This is so good!!! I served it over quinoa with a touch of fresh lime. A new go to asparagus recipe.

Used slivered almonds cuz I’m allergic to walnuts. Nice crunch. Parboiled asparagus 2 min. Cut sugar to 1/2 tsp and still too sweet. I’ll cut next time. Needs more garlic, ginger, umami: maybe miso? Porcini broth?

Yes, this recipe is good for those people who don't like the natural fresh taste of asparagus. I found it a little overwhelming of flavoring for me.

Bangin. Added some lemon at the end :)

Do not be fooled by the seemingly awkward side-dishiness of this -- it is so good. Serve over rice and it is a weeknight stir-fry dream dinner. Was contemplating Girl Dinner cheese and crackers and this was a much better idea for my languishing asparagus. Squeezed some lemon at the end per other commenters - great addition.

To avoid the step of boiling noodles use shelf stable stir fry noodles that come in different kinds line udon or soba

I added tofu, seasoned with five-spice and salt and sauteed in the dregs of the asparagus sauce--fantastic!

I added some raw shrimp after the asparagus, worked well. I agree with other reviewers, a splash of acidity at the end would be an improvement.

Made it for Julia’s b-day camp trip and turned out great. Rave reviews and was easy and fast

The spicing was delicious but, as others mentioned, it masks the asparagus taste so ill another vegetable (string beans) next time. I added shrimp, which I partially cooked first, and then finished at the end. Loved the walnuts but might try cashews next time.

Loved this! Made a double batch of the “sauce” and tossed it with some pork filled dumplings as you would pasta. Loved the flavors! Big hit in our household.

I finally got around to cooking this one. I subbed in some coarsely shredded cabbage to make up for a less than 2 servings of asparagus. Next time, I might up the amount of Szechuan pepper and sliced serrano. Definitely a good dish to serve to my veggie relatives. And no tofu which would mess up the textures.

I made this per the recipe and it was delicious. Used only 1 serrano chili, which was plenty for us. Used chopped walnuts. Served with salmon, but can see this as a great side to shrimp, pork, just about anything!! My husband loved it too!!!

I added chicken and used cashews instead of walnuts. The sauce is delicious! This is a keeper

Add white pepper next time to approximate the chilis.

Delicious! Will make again. Substituted Garam Masala for five-spice powder and happy I did.Used my garden chives. Very adaptable recipe based on what one has on hand.