Asparagus With Spicy Tahini Sauce | Chef John’s Cooking Class

Remove tough ends of asparagus. Cut the mini bell peppers into circles.

Making the Sichuan peppercorn sauce: In a medium bowl, combine sesame paste, peanut butter, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, Zhengjiang vinegar, chef John's Sichuan peppercorn oil, chef John's chili oil, sesame oil, sugar, and white pepper, gently stir until completely mixed. Set it aside. (When making the sauce, must soft the sesame paste and peanut butter first. Must add garlic oil in the end. Otherwise, the sauce is not as tasty.)

In a cooking pot over high heat, bring 1qt water to a boil, add a pinch of salt. Add asparagus to the pot, cook for 15 seconds, then quickly add the red pepper circles to the pot. Drain at once. Put in ice-cold water to cool.

Making garlic oil: In a small pan over medium-low heat, add oil and minced garlic, stir fry until fragrant and golden. Remove from heat.

Pour the garlic oil into the Sichuan peppercorn sauce prepared in step 2, mix well, sprinkle some toasted sesame seed. Drizzle this sauce on top of asparagus and peppers prepared in step 3, as a dip when serving.

Enjoy!