Rice and Asparagus With Onions

• 3/4 cup basmati rice
• 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added beef stock or broth
• 8 ounces whole onion, or 7 ounces chopped, ready-cut onion (1 2/3 cups)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 18 medium asparagus
• 3 sprigs mint
• 18 teaspoon salt

1. Combine rice and stock and bring to boil in heavy-bottom pot.
2. Chop whole onion and heat oil in small nonstick pot.
3. When oil is hot, add the onion, reduce heat to medium high and saute onion until it softens and begins to brown.
4. When rice begins to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover, cooking a total of 17 minutes.
5. Wash and break tough stems from asparagus at the point where the woody part meets the tender part.
6. Cut the asparagus just below the head and then cut remaining stems into one-inch pieces.
7. When the onion is soft, stir it into the rice.
8. Place a steamer in the pot in which the onion was cooked and place asparagus in the steamer; cook about 3 minutes, until asparagus is crisp but tender.
9. Wash, dry and mince enough mint to make 2 tablespoons.
10. When rice is cooked, stir in drained asparagus and add mint and the salt.

basmati rice, nosalt, onion, sesame oil, asparagus, mint, salt

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3724 (may not work)