Pea shoots

[lperry]

I love pea shoots, and I was told recently that they are the same as pea sprouts. The implication was, why buy them, you can grow your own that will be fresher and better-tasting than store bought. I sprout lots of other seeds with success, so I am intrigued by the idea of growing my own pea shoots. So I have two questions:

1. Are pea shoots the same as pea sprouts that have grown a bit large?

2. If they are, has anyone sprouted peas and is willing to share how they did it?

[russ parsons]

they're not quite the same thing. the shoots are the tips of the vines. sprouts would be the infant plant.

[lperry]

I thought so as well. I assumed that there were parent pea plants that got snipped periodically for "shoots." However, I've been searching the web since I posted the topic and found this site:

Growing pea shoots

So now I'm thoroughly confused. Anyone?

If it matters, I'm really hoping I can grow them. I've got garden envy that is seriously curtailed by my apartment-dwelling reality.

[Busboy]

Pea shoots are an abomination, chlorophyllic dental floss elevated to icon staus by chefs too impatient to let spring legumes sprout, and too shrewed not peddle fibrous vinage to the posturing masses as overpriced exotica.

Don't, I beg you, don't grow pea shoots. Grow peas, grow herbs, grow opium poppies -- grow anything but these gaucho trousers of the vegetable world!

[lperry]

Pea shoots are an abomination, chlorophyllic dental floss elevated to icon staus by chefs too impatient to let spring legumes sprout, and too shrewed not peddle fibrous vinage to the posturing masses as overpriced exotica. 

Don't, I beg you, don't grow pea shoots.  Grow peas, grow herbs, grow opium poppies -- grow anything but these gaucho trousers of the vegetable world!

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So how do you really feel about them? If it makes you feel better, I have an herb garden in pots on my deck.

I have never had them in a restaurant - I buy them at Asian markets and cook them myself. I was under the impression that they are a common Asian vegetable. Maybe not?

[Busboy]

I just noticed when they started showing up at the farmers markets and hip restaurants a couple of years ago. Never liked them and when they became a "thing" I decided to make them my personal bete noir (bete vert?). And then, when my wife and I asked the owner of one of the farms that sell in our market why there were no fresh peas (one of spring's great joys, IMO) and she said it was because they had used all the pea vines for shoots, well, it pushed over the edge. Kind of the way some people are about Rachel Ray.

[russ parsons]

when they became a "thing" I decided to make them my personal bete noir (bete vert?). And then, when my wife and I asked the owner of one of the farms that sell in our market why there were no fresh peas (one of spring's great joys, IMO) and she said it was because they had used all the pea vines for shoots, well, it pushed over the edge.  Kind of the way some people are about Rachel Ray.

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everyone needs a reason for living and far be it from me to deprive you of yours. but i like them. i like peas, too, but garden peas go starchy so quickly i find it's about 1 batch in 5 that really has flavor. i like pea sprouts a lot--just made a risotto with them ... add them at the very last minute so they barely wilt and stay bright green. also baked halibut in paper on a bed of pea shoots and topped with herb butter.

there are no bad ingredients, just bad cooks.

[lperry]

They are wonderful just quickly stir-fried with a little bit of ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. I'll have to try the risotto.

[Hest88]

Pea shoots are Asian, and were quite common in local Asian markets for quite a long time before they were "picked up" by non-Asian restaurants. Pea sprouts started becoming common in Asian markets just a few years ago. I remember when I could only get them in Vancouver.

[Busboy]

when they became a "thing" I decided to make them my personal bete noir (bete vert?). And then, when my wife and I asked the owner of one of the farms that sell in our market why there were no fresh peas (one of spring's great joys, IMO) and she said it was because they had used all the pea vines for shoots, well, it pushed over the edge.  Kind of the way some people are about Rachel Ray.

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everyone needs a reason for living and far be it from me to deprive you of yours. but i like them. i like peas, too, but garden peas go starchy so quickly i find it's about 1 batch in 5 that really has flavor. i like pea sprouts a lot--just made a risotto with them ... add them at the very last minute so they barely wilt and stay bright green. also baked halibut in paper on a bed of pea shoots and topped with herb butter.

there are no bad ingredients, just bad cooks.

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Touché, you bastard.

(but I didn't like them at Grammercy Tavern, either).

[msphoebe]

I love greens and vegetables of all kinds. Would love to see some more recipes (or simple cooking methods) for Chinese green vegetables. Simple is good!

In particular, I was looking for Pea Shoots today at the Asian market, but didn't see any. Is it the wrong time of year? Or was I looking in the wrong cooler (don't think so!)

Please share any ideas for preparing the different greens. I love a nice side of veggies with any dish!

P.S. Tomorrow I'll be making hzr8tw's (did I get that right? I can never remember!) recipe for Imperial Shrimp. It looks delicious.

[hzrt8w]

In particular, I was looking for Pea Shoots today at the Asian market, but didn't see any.  Is it the wrong time of year?  Or was I looking in the wrong cooler (don't think so!)

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Pea shoots, like bean sprouts, should be available around the year. They don't need soil to grow. Just water. It should be quite easy to grow at home too.

[msphoebe]

That's kinda what I figured, it seems most everything is available year-round these days.

I did notice that all of the Chinese vegetables were, of course, identified by the Chinese name. It was an Asian market, after all!

I know what bok choy and baby bok choi look like, and pea shoots, and napa cabbage, but there are so many more green veggies (mostly leafy veggies) that I cannot identify and don't know what to do with. Is anyone interested in providing a short list of the most popular Chinese veggies, along with the names (in both Chinese and English?) I hope that isn't a stupid request. It just might be easier to find what I want if I know both names.

Thanks to anyone willing to take on this small challenge or point me in the direction of an on-line dictionary of Chinese (or Asian) veggies. I'm on a mission!

d

[Dejah]

In particular, I was looking for Pea Shoots today at the Asian market, but didn't see any.  Is it the wrong time of year?  Or was I looking in the wrong cooler (don't think so!)

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Pea shoots, like bean sprouts, should be available around the year. They don't need soil to grow. Just water. It should be quite easy to grow at home too.

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WHAT? Peashoots don't need soil? Are they not the tips of growing plants that produce snow peas. Well, at least, the ones I buy are the tips. Maybe there are different types?

Edited to add:

I just checked through your pictorial, Ah Leung. Yours are definitely a different type than what I know. The kind I buy in Wpg. ARE the tips of the snow pea plant. They are labelled as "dow miu". But I can't see how, if they're grown in water and have such small stems, that they could withstand stir-frying.

Edited March 25, 2007 by Dejah (log)

[dockhl]

That's kinda what I figured, it seems most everything is available year-round these days.

I did notice that all of the Chinese vegetables were, of course, identified by the Chinese name.  It was an Asian market, after all! 

I know what bok choy and baby bok choi look like, and pea shoots, and napa cabbage, but there are so many more green veggies (mostly leafy veggies) that I cannot identify and don't know what to do with.  Is anyone interested in providing a short list of the most popular Chinese veggies, along with the names (in both Chinese and English?)  I hope that isn't a stupid request.  It just might be easier to find what I want if I know both names. 

Thanks to anyone willing to take on this small challenge or point me in the direction of an on-line dictionary of Chinese (or Asian) veggies.  I'm on a mission!

d

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Post in the Chinese Food Forum

Also, Ah Leung "hzrt8w" is the best at informational help like this. He has done an awesome job with Chinese ingredients, so maybe he'll help with vegetables, too?

Best~

Kathy

[sheetz]

I know what bok choy and baby bok choi look like, and pea shoots, and napa cabbage, but there are so many more green veggies (mostly leafy veggies) that I cannot identify and don't know what to do with.

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You're not alone! My local Chinese grocer carries unfamiliar vegetables from time to time and the names are always written in Chinese only, and I can't read enough Chinese to figure out what they are. Can anyone recommend a good reference, either a book or online, that gives pictures and names for lots of Asian vegetables.

[Ben Hong]

You're not alone! My local Chinese grocer carries unfamiliar vegetables from time to time and the names are always written in Chinese only, and I can't read enough Chinese to figure out what they are. Can anyone recommend a good reference, either a book or online, that gives pictures and names for lots of Asian vegetables.

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Make friends with Wikipaedia. Type in Chinese vegetables. C'est tres simple, n'est-ce pas??

Try the website www.evergreenseeds.com

I know of no place where peashoots (dou miu) are grown hydroponically, ie: in water and without soil. It may be "possible", but highly improbable. Most leguminous plants require soil because they don't like wet feet. Again, since I don't prefer to go into a deep discussion on botany, introduce yourself to wikipaedia and ask about leguminous plants.

Edited March 25, 2007 by Ben Hong (log)

[BarbaraY]

I have encountered a number of recipes that call for Pea Shoots which are unavailable even in the Farmer's Markets here. I'm sure I would like them since I love peas, especially Sugar Snap Peas.

I found that a Google search pulls up a lot of information on growing them in trays.

I'm going to give this a shot since I think I would like them very much. Will keep posting as to progress.

[Dejah]

I'm wondering if the difference is the wording: peashoots and peasprouts?

Peashoots would be the tips of a legume plant growing in soil, while peasprouts would be like alfalfa, mustard, broccoli, radish, and mung bean sprouts that are sprouted hydroponically.

Peasprouts would be very tender in a dish. Peashoots can be tough if too mature when picked. The first time I heard about them was when my cook's wife immigrated to Canada. She talked about the "new vegetable" everyone was eating - the growing tips of the pea plants. We thought she was crazy, spoiled, to mutilate a plant that produces these beautiful snow peas. But, they are delicious in a simple stir-fry.

[Chris Amirault]

Pea shoots are a staple at our house: heat some schmaltz (chicken fat) or lard in a wok on high heat, pinch of salt, quickly brown some minced garlic, and then add the shoots, tossing constantly until barely wilted. Add a few tablespoons of chicken stock and serve. Simple and tasty.

[menon1971]

Are these the same thing as the pea tendrils that I have been served as a garnish? If, so they make a nice salad.

[hzrt8w]

There are 2 kinds of pea shoots popular in Chinese cooking. In Chinese, we just call them "large" versus "small" dou miu [Cantonese] - where dou miu has a literal meaning of "bean sprout". I think the large variety is from snowpea. I am not sure what bean or pea is for the small variety.

The one I mentioned is the small variety, which looks like this:

(From my recipe:)

Pea Shoots with Minced Pork and Dried Shrimp (蝦米肉碎炒豆苗)

I was told that they grow in water. Have I been mis-informed?

The large variety looks like this:

(From my recipe:)

Pea Shoots Stir-fried with Egg White and Conpoy (瑤柱蛋白炒豆苗)

[menon1971]

The top look like what I was served as pea tendrils. Are they the same plant?

[JasonTrue]

The larger ones tend to be labeled "pea vines" in my area. I'm think they're taken from pea plants fully grown.

The small pea sprouts are also available... I suppose they could be sprouted in water, but I'm decidedly not a gardener.

[Ben Hong]

where dou miu has a literal meaning of "bean sprout".  I think the large variety is from snowpea. 

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I thought "miu" meant foliage. During the famine of the mid 40s, we ate "fan see miu" or the leaves of the sweet potato plant. They did not eat the shoots or sprouts of the sweet potato, which is called "suun" or "thloon" (Toisanese), as in "jook suun" or bamboo shoots (sprouts).