After a short vacation (and a short blog hiatus) I am back. Hooray! And to ease back into the non-vacation existence, I’ve decided to ease back into the blog with an easy, tasty recipe for a great vegetable side dish.
Sugar snap peas have suddenly become my go-to recipe for a quick side dish. I can’t believe I went mumble-mumble years kind of not really liking them much. I think it was just a matter of finding the right thing to do with snap peas. Adapted from Mark Bittman, I just streamlined this recipe a bit for me, and my style of cooking and my tastes. Which, in my mind, is mostly what recipes are for anyway — a starting point.
Just stir-fry snap peas, add ginger and garlic, and finish with a little sesame oil, soy sauce and wasabi. Done.
Quick Stir-Fried Sugar Snap Peas with Garlic, Ginger and Wasabi
Adapted from a recipe in the New York Times by Mark Bittman; serves 2-4.
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 – 1/2 tsp Wasabi Paste (you could also use a pinch of red pepper flakes)
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 1/2 pounds snow or sugar snap peas, washed and trimmed
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
Garnish: Black and White Sesame Seeds
In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil and soy sauce. Blend in the wasabi paste with a fork. Set aside while cooking snap peas.
Heat a large skillet or wok to high. Add the peanut oil and let it warm up for about a minute and then toss in the peas. Stir while they cook for about five minutes, until they are glossy, bright green and begin to brown lightly in spots. Adjust the heat as you go — if things are smoking too much, turn it down a bit.
When snap peas are almost done, stir in ginger and garlic, and cook another minute or two. Turn off heat and add oils and soy sauce. Toss quickly to combine and taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed, then remove to a platter or large bowl. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
