Fry

Garlicky Stir-Fried Pea Shoots (Da Dou Miao)

by:
August 15, 2015
5
3 Ratings
Photo by Betty | le jus d'orange
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

If you’ve never had pea shoots (豆苗 dou miao), then you should immediately head to your local Asian supermarket and pick up a bag of these bright green vegetables. This is my favorite side dish at Chinese restaurants and while it’s often not part of the menu because of its seasonal nature, I always ask for it. And, when they’re available fresh at the market, it's easy make this dish at home.

Preparing these pea shoots is simple. The bottom of the stem can be tough, so I rip it off right at the base of the first leaf. Sometimes the pea shoot can be rather long: Tear them in half to make two shorter pieces, if you like. Rinse the pea shoots in cold water and then drain completely. This is a very quick stir fry: It won’t take long for the pea shoots to begin to wilt and turn bright green. They will be juicy, tender, but still crunchy. —Betty

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 3 to 5 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 pound fresh large pea shoots, cleaned and dried
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • salt, to taste
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons rice wine
Directions
  1. Heat a wok over high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant.
  2. Add in pea shoots in one batch. If you can’t add it all at once, then work in batches—they will wilt. Stir for a few seconds.
  3. Drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of water and keep stirring.
  4. Add sugar and salt and quickly stir and toss to evenly distribute. Keep heat on high.
  5. Once the pea shoots begin to look bright green and just wilted (no more than 1 minute), add in rice wine, stir twice, and then turn off heat. Drain and serve hot.

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betty is a food blogger and wedding photographer based in Boston, MA.

1 Review

DC '. February 2, 2020
Simple and delicious. Thank you!