Asparagus Sesame Salad

1 lb asparagus
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs roasted sesame oil
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 tsp coarse salt
1 1/2 cups baby arugula or mesclun salad
2 Tbs sesame seeds

1) Heat a large pan of lightly salted water to boiling over high heat. Peel the asparagus stalks and trim the ends. Cut the stalks diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Blanch in boiling water 3 minutes or until bright green. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
2) In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, cilantro, and salt. Add the asparagus and toss until well combined.
3) To serve, mound some salad greens on each of 4 plates. Spoon the dressed asparagus onto the greens and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Review: This was pretty yummy, but I left out the cilantro. That just sounded odd in an Asian themed dish, when I associate cilantro with Mexican themed dishes. The “dressing” didn’t stick to anything and made a puddle in the bottom of the bowl. So, I had to swish each bite around the dish.