Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic (蒜頭炒豆苗)

I think this has to be one of my favourite vegetable dishes, tasting fresh and crunchy with a little iron tang. It doesn't appear in the restaurants or supermarkets very often, and when it does, it's only for a very short amount of time. You can get the bags of pea shoots in the salad section at some of the western supermarkets, but you'd be spending a hell of a lot before you actually got enough to make a decent side portion! It takes about 1 minute to cook from start to finish, so make it just as you're serving up and make sure there's a warm dish to tip it into.

 

Ingredients

• 350g pea shoots
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 slice of raw ginger, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• A splash of Shaoxing rice wine (or substitute dry sherry)
• 1 tsp Knorr chicken powder (or substitute a pinch of salt)
• 1-2 tbsp Sunflower oil for frying
• 2-3 drops sesame oil

Serves 2

 

Instructions

• Wash the pea shoots in a large bowl of water, and discard any wilted leaves or tough stems
• Drain the pea shoots and put to one side
• Heat the wok until it is very hot and add the sunflower oil. Drop in the ginger and stir it around the wok for 10 seconds
• Add the pea shoots and garlic, and stir-fry rapidly until they begin to wilt
• Add the rice wine and chicken powder and stir-fry rapidly until the pea shoots are all just wilted
• Remove from the heat and add a couple of drops of sesame oil
• Stir to mix and serve immediately

Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic (蒜頭炒豆苗)