More and more people are learning about pea tips and pea leaves and looking for them on Chinese restaurant menus since they are sweet and delicious.
Pea tips, the young, sensitive leaves of the pea plant, are one of the greatest vegetables for stir-frying and have become increasingly popular in recent years. They’re available year-round at our local Chinese store, but they’re at their best flavor when they’re fresh from the field. Choose ones with thick leaves and short stems if you plan on purchasing some.
Another option is to grab a stem and pull it in two. If it snaps easily, that’s a positive sign. You’ll want to remove the tough pea tendrils that grow on some of them. However, the leaves are exceptionally soft, and they have a delicious flavor.
This vegetable has a consistency comparable to spinach but a pleasantly sweet and refreshing taste. Once you’ve spent the effort sorting through them and removing the tougher stems and veins, cooking and serving pea leaves takes only a few minutes.
Note:
- All stir-fry vegetables need a generous amount of light oil, but this one in particular calls for a bit more than normal.
- Cooking leafy greens with a lid on more than once will cause them to turn yellow.
- A little extra salt and cooking time over high heat will give your food that restaurant flavor. The natural sweetness of the pea stems is more than enough to balance out the salt.
Ingredients:
- 450g snow pea leaves
- 3-5 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions:
- Be sure to wash your pea leaves and remove any tough stems before using them. Oil should be heated in a big wok over high heat. After a few seconds of stirring, add the garlic and then the vegetables.
- Keep the vegetables moving for the entire 20 seconds of stir-frying. Sprinkle in some salt, white pepper, and sesame oil.
- Keep cooking until all the vegetables are wilted but still retain their bright green color in the stir-fry. Serve.