Lasang Pinoy 18: Oh my Gulay!
I’ve never tried cooking pinakbet (a medley of vegetables cooked in fish paste) or chop seuy. My mom cooks a mean tortang talong (eggplant omelette), so I never learned. And I don’t think I even want to try cooking ampalaya (bitter melon). So where did that leave me for Lasang Pinoy 18?
One of my favorite veggie appetizers is Gyu Asupara Maki, otherwise known as Beef and Asparagus Rolls. I love it for the sweet and salty flavor of the tender beef, imbued with just a subtle hint of smokiness, wrapped over crisp and cooked-just-right asparagus spears. While it’s Japanese in origin, I think, other than the mirin, the ingredients are ordinary enough to fit any cuisine. And with the flavor it packs, it’s sure to appeal to Pinoy tastebuds.
BEEF, ASPARAGUS AND CARROT ROLLS
When making Beef and Asparagus Rolls, I usually stick to asparagus only. This time around, I wanted to add a more ordinary vegetable so the asparagus is sharing center stage with the carrot.
Mix together 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine), and 1 tsp sugar. A professional cook once told me that you can substitute 1 tsp sugar + 1 tsp rice wine or dry sherry for every 1 Tbsp of mirin.
Cut 100-150 grams of thin beef steaks into 1″ thick strips. Thin sirloin, top round, or breakfast steak would be okay but if you feel like splurging, sukiyaki beef is wonderful. Marinade the beef in the soy sauce-mirin mix for at least 30 minutes.
Cut the asparagus spears into thirds. Cut a carrot into sticks that are roughly the same length as your asparagus. Then, roll an asparagus stalk and a couple of sticks of carrot in the beef.
Secure with a toothpick. If you’re using really thin beef, you can actually skip the toothpick part since it’ll stay rolled by itself.
Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan, then sear the asparagus rolls, turning to cook all sides. Don’t overcook so the veggies will stay nice and crisp.
Once it’s nice and browned, pour the leftover marinade (or make another helping) and let it glaze over the rolls.
While you won’t find asparagus and carrots anywhere in Bahay Kubo1, I think this dish would be welcome in any Filipino household. Through the years, we’ve assimilated Spanish, Chinese, and Italian cooking. Why not a little Japanese this time?
Lasang Pinoy (Filipino Taste) is a Filipino food blogging event that showcases food cooked throughout the Philippines. Read more about it at http://lasangpinoy.org. For the rest of the Oh My Gulay! entries, visit the round up at Wifely Steps.
1Bahay Kubo is a Filipino folk song that tells of the various vegetables growing around a small nipa hut.
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Wow, this looks positively delicious! Gyu Asupara Maki is such a favorite of mine at Jap restos and sushi bars. You make it look so easy to make ^__^
But I keep telling you, it’s easy! You can cook it, definitely. Don’t you trust me anymore?
This is fueling my Japanese food craving even more.
Had to make korokke last night. I completely forgot that my grandmother used to make them all the time, although with corned beef on the inside. Yay for panko.
You are so on my bookmark tab.
oh, wow this is something else! i just made a post with asparagus wrapped in bacon…it could’ve been my entry too:) love asparagus! thanks for sharing this and i am bookmarking it right about NOW!
@Gaby
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it…even if it made you hungry. And corned beef sounds like a yummy option for korokke. I’d love to try it myself.
@ces
My mushrooms either get too soggy, or burn before the bacon crisps up. 
I love bacon-wrapped things too! Have you tried enoke mushrooms in bacon? I really love it but sadly, I haven’t perfected the cooking part.
what a great dish. i’ve seen this prepared in a japanese restaurant with bacon.
yours looks a whole lot better.
That’s mouth-watering! To tell you the truth, I’m still a carnivore at heart. So, although I found all entries for LP 18 yummy and worth trying, this is the one that made my tummy grumble and roar! LOL
But I don’t eat beef anymore. Do you think this will work with chicken breast instead?
Hello Kaoko. Thanks for visiting my LP 18. I appreciate your visit. I’ve never met anyone apart from myself and my brother, who splits the okra in the middle to separate the seeds from the skin. What an interesting discovery. We’re not alone after all.
I love your entry. Marvelous shots. They look really delicious and I’m sure it’s a party hit. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kaoko,
This looks absolutely delicious. It’s kind of like sushi and beef satay combined into one dish.
Ahaha! My carnivore hubby will love this Oh-My-Gulay recipe! Thank you very much!
(And thanks for the onion tip :-))
I made a similar dish except that instead of carrots, I used cheese. Then wrapping the whole asparagus & cheese with sukiyaki beef so that it would look like a Turon. Then slicing it into bite-sized chunks after cooking… yum yum!
[...] Lasang Pinoy 18: Oh my Gulay! 11 Drew, iska, Marvin [...] [...]
@BatJay
Thanks. I’ve tried the bacon-wrapped version in Japanese restos as well, but I like the beef wrapped kind better.
@chateau
I’ve never tried it with chicken breast. It’s worth a shot, although I imagine it’ll take longer to marinade so the chicken can fully take in the marinade flavor.
@Rach
And it’s also gratifying to make an okra connection. At least I know I’m not a solo okra splitting person in this wide world.
Thanks.
@Marvin
Thankies. Honestly, I’ve never tried beef satay. Methinks it’s time to try it too.
@iska
I have low tolerance for onions so I try every tip I come across. The candle works best for me so now I keep a spare tea lite in the kitchen.
@Drew
What kind of cheese did you use?
Ooooh, thanks arbie. That’s definitely something to try.
Ordinary Cheddar Cheese or any cheese that will not melt easily would be fine.
Looks really good. I am starving now just looking at the photos.
I’ll try this recipe. I have to buy the ingredients first.
It’s really easy, delicious, and practically fool-proof. I hope you get to try it
very yummy entry. i love asparagus! thanks for joining us for LP!
Thanks for visiting. I love participating at LP. I just wish I had more chances to do so
Kaoko, what beautiful photos you have here! The above recipe looks really simple to make too!
Thank you very much
It’s really worth a shot since the taste more than makes up for the effort.
hi kaoko! what a great entry for lasang pinoy! My girls and I love anything rolled together
This beef and asparagus sound perfect!
BTW, I love your blog and the bento boxes! Thanks for leaving a comment on mine.
Thank you for visiting, I love your blog as well and visit from time to time. I’ve only begun using RSS feed services like bloglines and have happily added yours.
Hope your girls enjoy the rolls
great blog.
i don’t like pinakbet maybe because it’s a mixture of vegetables that i don’t like to eat.
but i do eat eggplant as an omelette and long beans if it’s stir fried or added to sinigang.
and i eat bittermelon with egg. I’m weird huh.