Sauteed Snow Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, and Pea Shoots

Here is another side dish that uses the fabulous peas you can find this week at your local markets. I ordered extra this week from my CSA box so that I could both eat a bunch in salads and cook a bunch up for you (and for me).

This recipe was incredibly easy. In fact, the entire recipe from start to finish took 15 minutes, and that included the time to cut the ends off of the peas and remove the strings. We both loved it, and we threw the leftovers into some leftover fried rice for lunch the next day.

Sauteed Snow Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, and Pea Shoots, adapted from Epicurious

Serves 4

• 3 cups snow peas
• 4 cups sugar snap peas
• 6 cloves of garlic
• Oli of your choice
• 1/3 cup oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• Pea shoots
• Sesame seeds

1. Cut the ends off of the peas and remove the strings.
2. Tear the pea shoots into small chunks.
3. Mince the garlic.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium to medium high heat.
5. Satuee the garlic for a minute or so, but stir constantly so it doesn't burn.
6. Add in the oyster sauce and chicken stock (you can use water here instead of the stock).
7. Add the peas and fry for 2 minutes, or until some of the sauce has burned off.
8. With a slotted spoon, remove the peas and garlic from the pan and place them in a serving dish.
9. Top with the pea shoots and a mix of white and black sesame seeds.

Patricia's Notes:  This was a great dish. By only cooking the peas for 2 minutes, you retain so much of their fresh flavor and snap. Really, you're just warming them a bit and coating them with the sauce. I was hoping the sauce would be thicker, so I could just pour the entire skillet into the serving bowl, but since the sauce was still thin, I preferred to strain the vegetables out of the sauce. I think you could mix in a bit of cornstarch with the oyster sauce and get a nice thick sauce that would also work very well. Next time, I'll throw in just a tiny bit of hot sauce or red pepper flakes as well.