I am a sucker for unusual finds at the markets and my sukis clearly know this so they are very assertive about showing me the latest thing… more often than not, I buy it just to encourage them to feature more varied produce. Yesterday I got these really terrific looking sugar snap peas… fatter than the more commonly available chicharo (snow peas or mangetout). Although chicharo are sometimes referred to as Chinese peas and are common in Chinese dishes, they originated in Holland and are popular in Europe as well. The sugar peas in the photograph here are different from snow peas in that they seem “inflated†and have a rather crisp outer pod and succulent juicy peas (though the peas in this one seem a bit small or immature…).
The sugar snap peas appear fresher and more robust. They can
be prepared steamed, stir-fried or mixed in with other noodle or vegetable dishes. I find that if you blanche them for a few seconds before stir-frying they taste really good and have a nice texture as well. Don’t forget to remove the ends and the fiber that runs the lenght of the pea pod. Stir fry these in vegetable oil and season with a touch of soy sauce and possibly lemon and sprinkle with sesame seeds…yum. A great side dish to an oriental meal. They taste best if they only get a brief exposure to heat, they suffer from overcooking. A small plastic contanier of sugar snap peas were PHP50 at the market yesterday.
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oh my i’ve tried those and they’re so sweet! :-) may i know which market you found them MM and who your suki is? ;-) just in case i’m in that part of town? i haven’t had any luck finding those since i tasted them more than a yr. ago. thanks
molly, they are sometimes carried by 2-3 vendors at the Market!Market! mall in Taguig. I bought these however, from Gerry at the FTI Taguig Saturday market. I sometimes see them at the Salcedo market as well. Farmer’s Market in Cubao should also have them, particularly at the stalls that carry Chinese ingredients…