Asparagus Stir-Fry with Cloud Ear, Mushroom and Carrot

Why people make this stir-fry

Nourilo notes that early-stage high blood pressure often shows up as dizziness, tinnitus, heart palpitations, poor sleep and forgetfulness — sometimes with numbness in the limbs. Keeping a daily blood pressure log is a sensible first step. Alongside that, adding more plant-based dishes to the diet is something Chinese food therapy has long advocated. This colourful stir-fry — asparagus paired with cloud ear mushroom, button mushrooms and carrot — is one of Nourilo’s favourites: it comes together quickly, tastes genuinely good, and the ingredients have excellent traditional credentials for supporting vascular health.

Method

1. Trim the asparagus, peeling a little of the tougher base skin, then cut into sections.
2. Soak the dried cloud ear mushrooms in water until softened (about 20 minutes), then trim off the tough stem and rinse clean.
3. Rinse the button mushrooms. Peel and cut the carrot into thick batons. Mince the garlic.
4. Heat oil in a wok until hot. Stir-fry the garlic briefly until fragrant.
5. Add the asparagus, cloud ear mushrooms, carrot and button mushrooms. Stir-fry over high heat until everything is fragrant and starting to soften.
6. Add a splash of cooking wine, oyster sauce, salt to taste and a small amount of water.
7. Cook for a further couple of minutes, then add a small amount of cornstarch dissolved in water to make a light sauce. Toss together and serve.

Nourilo’s Tips

This dish is well-suited to those with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. It is a genuinely versatile vegetable stir-fry that fits easily into any weekday meal. Cloud ear mushroom and black wood-ear mushroom are both wood ear varieties — cloud ear (yun er) is more tender and suits stir-fries well, while black wood-ear (hei mu er) is larger and firmer, better suited for soups and thickened dishes. Black wood-ear also has a somewhat stronger blood-supporting and stasis-clearing quality.