tropit

We went to the city the other day to see a ballgame and the next day we had to go to our favorite Chinese market. I bought all kinds of goodies, including fresh pea shoots. I bought a huge bag, so I'd better get busy cooking them. Does anyone have a good recipe for using pea shoots? Thanks.

~ C

Monale

The way they are usually prepared in Southwest China is the following:

Wash them and clip off the little curly bits with your fingers. Heat up a wok with some oil in it. Fry some chopped garlic (and if you like it spicy, some dried chilis) in the hot oil for just a minute or so before you add the pea shoots. Sprinkle some salt over it (or use chicken broth powder). Stir quickly on good heat for just a couple of minutes (until the pea shoots start to get soft - but you don't want to cook them mushy!). Serve and enjoy!

Monale

The other common way to serve them in China is in a soup (= broth) with tofu cubes. But I personally like them better fried!

lawsonmugs

I wash them,cut off tough end. Then fry some bacon,onion and garlic. Put the pods in with the bacon and veggies. Cover till tender stir occasionally. Just before serving I add a sprinkle of soy sauce and stir and serve. Just made some Friday. Good luck.

feline fanatic

I just eat them raw. Usually in a salad. I have also stir fried them but they are very easy to over cook.

If you use them in a soup, I would drop them in the serving bowl. They are so delicate they basically only need to threatened by heat.

BTW, I'm not sure what the other posters are referring to when they said to remove the curly bits or tough parts or pods. Pea shoots have none of the above. Perhaps they are confusing them with chinese pea pods??.

lawsonmugs

I thought she meant pea pods like snow peas.

Monale

No idea how to say it correctly, but this is the vegetable I'm referring to:

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The Chinese lady who taught me how to cook them told me to remove those curly bits (and also the tough parts of the stems, as one of the other posters mentions).

lawsonmugs

Looks like pes pods to me. Sorry if I'm wrong.

mermaid

Looks like the pea vines to me. I never knew you could eat that part,,I just used the pea pods..used to raise sugsr snaps, but they have to be started so early to mature before hot temps kill the vines.

tropit

Sorry, I think that my post might be confusing. What I'm talking about are pea sprouts. They're the new, baby plants that have just emerged from the seed. You can buy them in big, plastic bags at Asian markets.

I did make them yesterday as suggested by a couple of QB members on this thread and they were delicious. I got a little oil heated up in the skillet, added some minced garlic, then tossed in the sprouts and cooked them until just tender. I seasoned them with a little bit of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil. I served mine over some noodles and added some chunks of baked tofu. YUM!

~ C