We continue our series of dining diaries with food columnist and founder of @DINNER.LIFE Daisy Watson with a Sausage, Asparagus & Ginger Rice Bowl

This syrupy, umami-rich pork stir-fry is pretty inauthentic, but totally delicious. And very fun to make. The recipe calls for a few East-Asian pantry essentials and some CHONKY sausage meat. Luckily, I know the best local spots for getting what you need.

Living in a multi-cultural county is a gift for flavournauts. One of my all-time favourite things to do is browse unfamiliar ingredients in international supermarkets. It never ceases to fill me with the wonder of a kid in a sweet shop. Take a trip into Canterbury and head to StarryMart on Broad Oak Road to grab your ingredients (or order online). This place is an absolute gold mine for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese food items.

A three-minute drive from StarryMart is another treasure trove of good shit. It’s no secret, The Goods Shed stocks a wealth of mind-blowingly great fresh ingredients. But we’re here for the sausages. The Goods Shed Butchery strictly sources whole and happy animals from Kentish farmers. The quality of life is evident in the colour and texture of the coarsely ground meat. Just trust me on this one, you must get THESE salt and pepper pork sausages.

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Sausage, Asparagus and Ginger Rice Bowl. Serves 2:

Ingredients:

For stir-fry:

Vegetable oil

4 Salt and pepper pork sausages, The Goods Shed Butchery.

8 Asparagus tips, each cut into 4 large pieces

1 big thumb of ginger, cut into matchsticks (julienne)

4 whole spring onions, sliced into rough chunks

Sauce:

1 tablespoon Maple syrup (or honey)

1 tablespoon Lee Kum Kee chilli garlic sauce

1 tablespoon Ssam-jang paste

½ teaspoon of Bull Head Shallot sauce

2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine (or medium-dry sherry)

2 tablespoons Rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

To serve:

2 CJ Microwave sticky rice pots (don’t even come at me, it’s good shit)

Toasted sesame seeds

Lime

Method

Add all of the sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl, whisk together, then set aside for later.
In a wok, or some kind of pan resembling a wok. Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil over a high heat. When the oil starts to lightly smoke, throw in the asparagus. Toss once or twice in the hot oil, then let them cook undisturbed for about 4/5 minutes. When the tips are lightly browned and crisp, transfer them to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.
Squeeze the meat from the sausages and discard the skins. Crumble the meat into the hot pan, adding a little more oil if needed. Let the pork sizzle on the base of the pan, undisturbed for a couple of minutes. Once brown underneath, break the meat apart and toss around. Continue to fry until the nuggets of pork are evenly golden-crisp and cooked through.
Chuck the ginger and spring onion in with the crispy pork. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Now, return the cooked asparagus to the pan. Pour in half of your premade sauce (save the rest for drizzling and dipping). Toss around, making sure everything is evenly coated in the shiny liquor.
If you have the capacity to perfectly steam your own sticky rice, then all power to you. I don’t, so ping some microwave sticky rice and put it into a bowl. Lay your syrupy sweet stir fry on top, finish with some toasted sesame seeds and a squeeze of lime. Attempt to eat with chopsticks, then give up and munch out with a spoon like I did. Enjoy!