Pea Shoots

Pea shoots…not to be confused with sprouts.
Anyone else grow these? Sure are tasty! Started growing them recently. We enjoy them best on our salad. Very easy to do…just sprinkle a bunch of sugar snap peas in a pot, cover with a little soil and water. Had a bunch of 4" pots around so have been using those. Turn-around is about 2 weeks so we keep planting and enjoying them. We like them best at about 4-5" tall so when they get there we harvest and enjoy. Some got away from us and got too big…they were not as tender and tasty.

Next up sunflower shoots and popcorn shoots.


Don’t grow them myself, but there is an urban farm in my neighborhood that does, and sells them at our local coop. We’ve been eating a lot of them for the past several months. Really delicious.

Really popular vegetable in Chinese restaurants and grocery stores…at least in areas with a large Chinese population.
Don’t throw out the big ones, tender isn’t always the name of the game. Sauteed with some garlic followed by a quick “pan-steam” (add a bit of stock or water, and cover with lid for 2-3 minutes), they’re divine.

Good to know…instead of raw I will “pan steam” the ones that get larger.
Thanks

Our local Chinese place makes pea shoot dumplings for dim sum and serves them as a side dish steamed with garlic. Good stuff.

Picked some up last night and put them in with sautéed shrimp, canellini beans, and sundried tomatoes.

The wife had never seen them before, but is now a fan.

Huge fan. Always pick them up in Chinatown

I do Alton Brown’s Asian Slaw recipe often and include them when I can.

indeed. pea shoots are dericious when cooked.

Many Chinese restaurants do whole menus when those are in season the way Germans go crazy for Asparagus…

Pea shoots are available year round in the frozen northland. Spargel, on the other hand, . . .

For those interested:

In Cantonese restaurants, order “die dow mew” (not standard jyutping) making sure they use garlic.
In Mandarin restaurants, order “da dou miao”. I avoid “small” pea shoots as the stems are really fibrous and usually not cooked well at restaurants, therefore you end up chewing for 20 minutes or spitting them out.

That is my braise with chicken stock. So fresh and flavorful and also healthy. Go light on the garlic and dry whites and sparklers will match well.