For those who enjoy the sweet taste of young pea shoots used to garnish their meals at restaurants, you're in for a treat when you bring them into your own dining repertoire as a side dish. Imagine a supremely simple, five-ingredient creation that pairs beautifully with both Asian and Western cuisines. Introducing what might just be our favourite pea shoot recipe-Dou Miao, a tasty Stir-Fried Pea Shoots dish enriched with an abundance of garlic. A staple found on any Chinese restaurant menu, this easy side dish can be effortlessly whipped up within minutes in the comfort of your kitchen!
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What Is Dou Miao?
Dou Miao (or pea shoots in English), a common vegetable in Chinese cooking, often makes an appearance on the menus of Chinese restaurants.
It's the tender shoots of snap peas or snow peas, celebrated for their crisp texture and sweet taste. In the culinary world, Dou Miao is typically stir-fried, with garlic and seasoning (and sometimes a splash of Shaoxing wine) or oyster sauce to enhance its flavour.
Try Dòu Miáo - You'll Love It!
Besides being a versatile and simple dish with just 5 main ingredients, there are plenty more reasons to love our recipe:
- If you're growing your own pea shoots on your window sill quicker than you can eat them, this recipe is a great option to use up slightly overgrown shoots with tough stems, as they soften under heat.
- Pairs well with Chinese cuisine as well as European-style dishes.
- Who doesn't like garlicky flavour in their side dishes?
- A delicious way (and inexpensive) to introduce more leafy greens into your diet!
- Pea shoots grow on your windowsill all year round so you can have fresh ingredients and beautiful Chinese Pea Shoots dish any time of the year!
- Full of vitamin C and vitamin A!
Ingredients and Substitutes
You will only need five simple ingredients for these stir-fry pea shoots. Find the ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional values in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- pea shoots: sometimes referred to as pea sprouts or tendrils (we clarify the concept in the section below).
- vegetable oil: you may add a tiny dash of sesame oil for more Asian flavour. Peanut oil is also traditionally used in Chinese cooking.
- cloves of garlic: finely chopped or minced garlic. Thinly sliced garlic is sometimes used in Chinese restaurants.
- all-purpose seasoning: or crumbled chicken stock cube, or a generous dash of soy sauce.
- rice vinegar: can be replaced with apple cider or white wine vinegar.
- salt and pepper, to taste.
What's The Difference Between Pea Shoots, Pea Tendrils and Pea Sprouts?
Pea shoots and tendrils come from the same plant but differ slightly. Fresh pea shoots refer to the tender leaves of a pea plant and part of the pea shoot stem, often used in salads (like our Pea Shoot Salad With Edemamde Beans) and stir-fries for their sweet flavour. The curly tendrils of pea plants are those spiral parts that help the plant climb. Pea sprouts, on the other hand, are just germinated seeds, including the leaves of the pea plant, and are crunchier.
We found that the terms are often used interchangeably, but to make things clear, we used green shoots (leaves, tendrils and stems) after the plants had grown to about 7cm tall.
Head to our dedicated article for more Pea Shoot Recipes.
Where To Get Pea Shoots?
Pea shoots (typically labelled as pea sprouts or snow pea tips) are sold in most Chinese markets or Chinese grocery stores around the country, but you are likely to find them in other Asian markets, like South East Asian or Japanese. Here in the UK, we also find snow pea shoots in farmer's markets in early summer.
However, we highly encourage you to try and grow them yourself. All you need is a shallow tray, a little compost, dried whole peas and a window sill. You will have beautiful thin stems and delicate leaves ready to harvest within 2 weeks! Here's a great guide on how to grow pea shoots!
Step-By-Step Method
1. Wash the pea shoots under cold water. Then dry them in a salad spinner to get rid of excess water.
2. Heat a large wok or a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the oil and garlic and fry for 15 seconds.
3. Add the pea shoots and stir fry for another 15 seconds.
4. Sprinkle in the salt and seasoning.
5. Tip in water and vinegar and stir fry for 30-60 seconds until pea shoots are wilted but retain their green colour and slightly crisp texture.
6. Season with black or white pepper if needed. Serve immediately on a warmed serving plate!
What To Serve Chinese Pea Shoots With?
This vegetable dish is a great way to brighten up any plate. Dou Miao goes oh so beautifully with Mongolian Beef (or our Slow Cooker Mongolian Pork), Salt & Pepper Chicken, Kung Pao Tofu and many more Chinese recipes.
Oh, and don't forget to try it with Crispy Kung Pao Chicken!
But Chinese Pea Shoots can also be successfully paired with Panko Crusted Fish, Lemon Baked Salmon or even Chicken Piccata! Stir-fried pea shoots are truly versatile!
Recipe FAQs
What Else Can I Do With Pea Shoots?
Some of our favorite ways to use pea shoots are to make a delicious pea shoot salad with lemon dressing or to add them to stir-fries. What is more, pea shoots make a beautiful garnish for risottos, pasta and fish dishes. If you are using pea shoots raw though, make sure they are not overgrown or remove tougher parts of the stems.
How To Store Stir-Fried Pea Shoots?
Since Chinese Pea Shoots take only 5 minutes to make, we don't recommend making a big batch. But if you do have leftovers, store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. Reheat on medium heat in a large pan, but note that your shoots will lose their crispy texture and will likely be less vibrant green.
Other Asian-Style Side Dishes To Try
Looking for more side dishes to go with your Asian main course? Try our Stir-Fried Savoy Cabbage With Chilli and Garlic, Griddled Bok Choy (Pak Choi), Chinese Broccoli Salad, Korean Cucumber Salad and Asian-Style Cabbage Slaw with Sesame Mayo!
Stir-Fried Chinese Pea Shoots (Dao Miao)
Equipment
- Large Pan or Wok
Ingredients
- 180 g (⅓ lb) pea shoots
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon all-purpose seasoning or ¼ crumbled chicken stock cube
- ⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Heat a wok or a large frying pan on high heat. Add the oil and garlic and fry for 15 seconds.
- Add the pea shoots and stir fry for another 15 seconds.
- Sprinkle in the salt and seasoning. Then tip in water and vinegar and stir fry for 30-60 seconds until pea shoots are wilted but retain their green colour.
- Serve immediately!
Nutrition
Josh says
Is it 3/4 lb (about 330g) or 180g, or a little more than 1/3 lb?
Ieva Greber says
Apologies Josh, something got mixed up in converting the units, clearly. I used 180g (just over 1/3 lb). Thank you for flagging it!