Good morning Sodium Girl readers.
After a fun-filled, fall weekend (eek!) spent prowling the farmers markets, I have a few new items for your grocery lists, the first of which is the sweet, tendrilled plant you see above.
Sodium Girl readers, say hello to the latest tool in your low sodium flavor arsenal – say hello to pea shoots.
These often disregarded leaves of the pea plant pack a lot of flavor in their delicate bite. They are sweet like snap peas and creamy like spinach. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and a quick sizzle in hot sesame oil will make even a bowl of rice taste like a million dollar dish.
While you won’t find them gracing the grocery store produce aisles yet (I’ve only seen them once or twice in Whole Foods), you can find them at the farmers markets and Asian markets – pea shoots are popular ingredients in Chinese cooking.
Keep your eyes open for the emerald curls and grab some shoots for quick flavor at home. Bunches generally cost only $1 to $2 – so no excuses. These greens offer true taste bud bang for your buck.
And if you’re ready to experiment, check out some of these pea shoot suggestions from Bay Area Bites.
Happy Monday and happy eating.
Chow on.
Love these! Ate them for the first time at a cart on street corner of Taipei. really easy to cook. Chinese cooking you make them in a wok with a load of garlic and cooking oil. SOOO good. And cheap to buy at 99 Ranch or Chinese markets in the Richmond!