White asparagus and environmental issues

After living in Germany for sometime, I've gotten used to seeing white asparagus (we don't have them in Japan) and I've been enjoying them again this year!

White asparagus with a bit of olive oil and serrano ham (oh and yes, you spy Miso soup --I had a multi-culti evening...)

Germans say that the German white asparagus are the best and don't buy stuff from elsewhere. It's not a nationalist statement and I am sure we all agree that usually local products are just better for many reasons. In Germany, you also see Peruvian ones quite often, in fact, all year round. My environmental conscious  hurts and I want as many people to avoid the Peruvian white asparagus sold in supermarkets. In short, it's not only bad for climate change via its high carbon footprint, but also because they are apparently causing serious water problems in Peru... and only the owners of those mega export farms see money while the poor and vulnerable suffer without say of their "water rights"

Want to read more see for e.g. Barbara Deutsch Lynch, Vulnerabilities, competition and rights in a context of climate change toward equitable water governance in Peru's Rio Santa Valley, Global Environmental Change, Volume 22, Issue 2, May 2012, Pages 364-373,

冷やし中華 Hiyashi Chuka

A typical summer dish in Japan is Hiyashi Chuka, which literally means Cold Chinese (noodles). Basically it is a cold noodle dish with lots of colorful topping. The most traditional combination is tomatos, cucumber, eggs and ham. It comes with yummy sauce too.

During the last days Munich had summery weather and I decided to make Hiyashi Chuka for dinner. In Japan we would use special Chinese noodles for this dish but since I am living in Munich it's not easy to get a hold of them. I use normal spaghetti pasta with a bit of a twist.

Here is my quick way of making Hiyashi Chuka


Noodles:
Overcook the spaghetti (1-2 minutes more than the usual) in the way you usually cook, but add a tbs of "Natron" to make the pasta a bit more like Chinese noodles. After the noodles are boiled, make sure to rinse them with cold water. It gives the nice texture to the pasta.


Topping:
Basically you can have any topping you like. The more color the merrier. I put ham this time but of course it could be a vegeterian version as well :) I like sprinkling some sesame seeds on the very top.

Sauce:
Lemon juice
Sesami oil (can also add a bit of sesami or even Tahin)
Soysauce
Vinegar (sour ones are better than something like Balsamico)
You can adjust the ratio according to your liking.

I am sure I would be making this dish quote often during summer months ;)