Snow Pea Tips with Garlic Sauce

Snow pea tips are one of those mysterious Asian delicacy's that surprise the palate.  Tender leafy greens that are extremely flavorful with the distinctive flavor of fresh peas.  Their texture is very much like spinach, but taste nothing like spinach.  They cook up surprisingly fast with very little effort and are memorably delicious, simply stir fried with garlic.

Asian greens can be quite mystifying (because they all tend to look alike with different names) and it seems that each year there are newly introduced varieties that I have never seen or heard of.  Luckily I stumbled upon The Asian Greens Guide posted by Savuer magazine, as well as, Sunset magazines Guide to Asian Greens, both were quite helpful.  But as far as snow pea tips go... Seriously Asian  or Viet World Kitchen is where you need to read.

After all that reading, this is what I did to cook up my tender and tasty snow pea tips with garlic sauce, they were so delicious that I ate the whole bowl while I wrote this post.

Snow Pea Tips

Remove curly tendrils, they will not tenderize when cooked and will remain tough and stringy.

Heat wok over high heat and add 1 Tbsp. oil

Add garlic and stir quickly so it won't burn.

Add pea tips and toss to coat in oil and garlic.

When they wilt by 1/3 add cornstarch mixture.

Toss until wilted to 1/4 its volume.  This whole process will take only about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. 

Snow Pea Tips with Garlic Sauce

½             pound                   snow pea tips

1              Tbsp.                     oil

1              large                      clove garlic, minced

½             cup                        water

1              tsp.                        cornstarch

½             tsp.                        kosher salt

Note: be sure to pluck off the curly tendrils, they will not tenderize when cooked and will remain tough and stringy.

Mix water, cornstarch and kosher salt together and set aside.  Mix once again before adding to the pea tips.

Heat wok over high heat and add 1 Tbsp. oil; add garlic and stir quickly so it wont burn; add pea tips and toss to coat in oil and garlic.  When the pea tips have wilted by 1/3, add the cornstarch mixture.  Toss pea tips until wilted to 1/4 its volume.  this whole process will take only about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.