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Asparagus with Tofu Dressing

A dish of boiled or lightly steamed asparagus topped with a blended tofu, salt, lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, and garlic dressing.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and garlic are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 25,665 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Asparagus with Tofu Dressing

Time3‑4 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the asparagus

  1. Boil or lightly steam asparagus for 3‑4 minutes (or until the colour brightens). Plunge immediately in cold water to stop cooking process and drain.

Make the dressing and serve

  1. Blend all other ingredients together, adding a little water if necessary, and serve with asparagus.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

290Calories
12 gProtein
19 gFat
25 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tofu100g firm76
Maple Syrup1 tbsp (20ml)52
Asparagus6 spears (90g)27
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  2. Asparagus + lemontop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together704 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. Asparagus + olivetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,096 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

  4. Asparagus + garlictop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together606 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  5. Lemon + olivetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,922 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Asparagus
Is the main vegetable; brief cooking brightens its green colour and keeps it tender-crisp.
Firm tofu
Provides body and creaminess to the blended dressing, plus a mild protein base.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the richness of the dressing.
Olive oil
Adds fat that gives the dressing a smooth, silky mouthfeel and carries flavour.
Maple syrup
Adds sweetness that rounds out the acidity of the lemon juice.

The step that matters

Plunge the asparagus in cold water. Asparagus keeps cooking from residual heat after boiling or steaming, so it can turn dull and soft. An immediate cold plunge stops the cooking and locks in bright colour and a crisp texture.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (asparagus, tofu, maple syrup, olive, garlic):

  1. Avocadofits better
  2. Pumpkinfits better
  3. Coconutfits better
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against asparagus, tofu, maple syrup, olive, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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