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1
Put the rice with the salt in 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan.
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2
Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 45 minutes.
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3
Trim the tough ends off the asparagus stalks and discard.
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4
Steam the asparagus until tender yet crisp, about 2 minutes.
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5
Drain it in a colander, then rinse under cold water.
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6
Let the asparagus cool for a few minutes.
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7
When completely cooled, cut into 1-inch pieces, reserving 1/4 cup of tips for garnish.
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8
Coat the bottom of a large pot with the olive oil.
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9
Add the celery, onion, carrot and thyme.
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10
Cover and cook over low heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
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11
Add the vegetable stock and cooked rice and bring to a boil.
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12
Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
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13
Remove from the heat and let cool a bit.
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14
Carefully transfer small batches to a blender and blend until smooth.
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15
Return all the blended mixture to a pot.
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16
Stir in the asparagus, scallions, parsley, soy sauce, pepper sauce and ground pepper.
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17
Return to a simmer for 2 minutes.
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18
Ladle into bowls and garnish with reserved asparagus tips and parsley sprigs.
