Stir Fried Pea Shoots

Pea shoots are quite popular in Asian cuisine, but it’s not something you find often in your local grocery store.  When you do find them, they’re usually overpriced and thrown into single-use plastic containers for sale.  Fortunately, when you grow peas in your indoor garden, you can harvest delicious and fresh pea shoots anytime. 

In case you were wondering, pea shoots taste a lot like peas.  The younger the pea shoot is, the better it will taste, so cut them off about 6-8” from the end of the vine.  When you cut off the end, more vines will grow in its place, so it’s good to do this often, even while the plant is young.  You’ll likely find yourself pruning your peas more and more often, to keep them from completely taking over your garden area.  Keep those tendrils that want to grab everything in their path as well…they can be the most delicious part.

Just like peas, pea shoots happen to be high in lot of great vitamins and antioxidants.  A cup of pea shoots is known to provide about 65% of your daily value of vitamin K, 35% of your daily value of vitamin C, and 15% of your vitamin A needs.  They’re also known to be packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients that keep your body healthy.

Pea shoots can be added to almost anything.  It’s actually shocking how much flavor and variety raw pea shoots can add to the simplest items like salads, soups, tacos, chicken and pork dishes, etc.  Just cut or dice them as appropriate, add them, and enjoy.

Now…on to the main course.

Stir Fried Pea Shoot Recipe:

Prep Time: approx. 5 minutes.  Cook Time: 2-5 minutes.  Ready in: approx. 10 minutes

Makes 4 servings.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ⅛ teaspoon of salt or a few dashes of soy sauce, as you prefer
• ¾ lbs young pea shoots
• 1 minced garlic clove

Cut your pea shoots into sections 1-3 inches in length.  Make sure they are as dry as possible so that they will cook well in the oil.

Part of the trick to stir frying pea shoots is using lots of oil.  Water will steam them, which will leave them with less of that delicious restaurant-style taste.  But, feel free to use ½ the amount of oils and salts suggested above, If you’d like to keep things more healthy.

Add your vegetable and sesame oil to a wok, large nonstick pan, or steel pan at high heat.  Turn the heat down to medium before adding garlic to prevent it from burning.

Bring the heat back to high, and add your pea shoots with salt or soy sauce to the pan.  Stir-fry the mix for 2-3 minutes, or until the leaves become slightly wilted and tender. 

Remove the pea shoots and plate them.  Add the leftover sauce to the plate as desired, after boiling down further to your preferred consistency.

Let’s Grow Together!