PEAS REMIND ME OF SPRING. Each part of the young plant—the tendrils, the stem, the leaves—tastes fresh and light and juicy. That’s why I always search for the whole pea plant, which is actually an edible shoot. Other than snow pea or snap pea pods, the pods of English or garden peas are usually considered too tough and thrown out, leaving just the seeds or what we call peas. But the rest of the plant, which can grow to 5 feet high, is delicious.
THE SHOOTS of the pea plant, what is usually thrown out in the field, can be found in Asian grocery stores. Chop and stir-fry pea shoots (also known as dou miao)—the leaves, stems, and tendrils of the young pea plant—with or without garlic, add a little broth at the end until the color turns deep green and leaves are tender but not mushy. Add bamboo shoots or mushrooms and serve as a side dish.
SERVES 4 / TIME: 1 HR 15 MIN
This is a raw soup that must be thoroughly blended to a fine puree and then strained. The dumplings complete the dish for a fresh and satisfying springtime meal.
4 cups pea shoots and pods, available where fresh peas are in season, plus a few pea shoots for garnish (see Note)
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 squeeze lemon juice
teaspoon kosher salt
Herb oil
Daikon-Pea Dumplings (at right)
Grapeseed oil, for serving
In a blender, puree the shoots and pods with the water. Strain the puree to be sure the strings and fibrous parts are removed, especially if you are including pea pods.
In a medium bowl, combine the pea puree, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or until chilled, and drizzle with an herb oil of choice. I like to use tarragon (using the Thyme Scraps Oil recipe here).
To serve: Arrange 5 or 6 dumplings in the bottom of a bowl. Ladle the chilled pea pod soup around the dumplings until reaching halfway up the sides of the dumplings. Finish with a strand or two of pea shoots and a drizzle of grapeseed oil.
NOTE:
Reserve the peas for the dumplings; all the other parts have a fresh pea taste so you can also use some of the tender shoots or pods as garnish.
MAKES 25 DUMPLINGS, 4 SERVINGS / TIME: 1 HR
These light and delicious dumplings use shaved radish as wrappers, and peas, pea vegetation, and herbs as filling.
1 large daikon radish, at least 3 inches in diameter, peeled (don’t throw away the peels; save for pickles, see Other Ways to Enjoy Radishes, here)
½ lemon
About 2 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
About 1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ cup chopped pea shoots or pods
2 cups shelled peas
¼ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
¼ cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
¼ cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the wrappers: With a mandoline, slice the radish crosswise as thinly as possible, until you have 25 ultra-thin circular slices. The slices must be thin enough to be pliable, like a dumpling wrapper. Lay them flat and separate on an 8 × 11-inch baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Partially squeeze the lemon half, and lightly rub over each slice. Dab a small amount of oil and a pinch of salt on each slice. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
For the filling: In a food processor, pulse the pea shoots, shelled peas, mint, parsley, chives, oil, lemon juice, and salt to a coarse blend. Add additional salt and lemon, to taste. The filling can be made a day ahead.
To assemble: Spoon 1 teaspoon of the pea puree into the middle of each daikon round and fold the daikon wrapper up around the filling, gently twisting the wrapper at the top to close, creating a little parcel.