Stir-Fried Pea Leaves with Garlic
A very simple, yet delicious side dish that can be made in under 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1/2# (250 grams) pea sleaves (pea shoots), washed and dried
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4-5 Tbsp chicken stock or water
- 1/4 tsp MSG (optional)
Instructions
- Lightly crush the cloves of garlic with the side of your knife and then roughly slice them. Don't slice the garlic too thinly or overly chop the garlic. A coarser cut of garlic will bun less readily and have a better texture and flavor in the final dish
- Get a wok or large saute pan very hot over high heat. Add the oil to the pan.
- Once the oil is in the pan it should start to smoke. Throw in the sliced garlic, cook for 5-10 seconds and immediately add the pea leaves to the pan.
- Toss the garlic and pea leaves in the hot pan for about 20-30 seconds, still over high heat. Use a spoon or spatula to stir the pea shoots as they fry.
- Pour the soy sauce around the sides of the pan and then immediately add the stock (or water) and sprinkle on the MSG.
- Continue to toss everything in the pan over high heat for another 30 - 45 seconds or until the pea shoots have wilted. This time may vary depending on how tender the pea leaves are. If the pan completely dries out before the pea leaves are wilted, add more stock or water as needed. There should be a few spoonfuls of liquid at the bottom of the pan when you have finished cooking the dish.
- Once the pea leaves are wilted, taste them and adjust the seasoning by adding a touch more soy sauce if necessary.
- Serve.
