599053 Tue Feb 24 16:11:09 -0800 2009 9 31 Home Cooking 0 4449034 Is there anything I can do with a batch of pea sprouts that are a bit older? They came in my organic vegetable box last week, I sauteed with garlic & oil, hoping for the delicious, soft greens we get at Ton Kiang. Instead they were tough - completely inedible. I got the same bunch in this week's box. Can I do anything differently? TIA Tue Feb 24 16:11:09 -0800 2009 164372 raeclark 1 4449044 short of cutting into smaller pieces I can't think of anything unless you want to overcook it which would be rather nasty...maybe a pureered soup Tue Feb 24 16:15:07 -0800 2009 4449034 153975 bw2082 1 4449068 Perhaps you could cook, grind/mill, and press them. It could serve as a foundation for a soup - with one or more of the following: cream, scallops, prosciutto, spring peas, roe, etc. The broth may need to be balanced at bit (a tad alkaline or astringent?) given the age of the sprouts. Tue Feb 24 16:24:17 -0800 2009 4449034 155034 alwayscooking 2 4449669 Another thought - blanch, simmer in oil, press/mill, and add more oil. Use this as a basis for a 'pesto'.. Maybe a better alternative since may require less 'balancing' of the final product. Tue Feb 24 20:05:25 -0800 2009 4449068 155034 alwayscooking 1 4449132 First, I think these are really shoots or tender clippings, not strictly sprouts. Maybe they are sometimes allowed to over-mature??? Which makes them more tough? Understandable for the farmer who gets more bulk with fewer seeds by letting it grow a bit more! I had the same experience and problem with some pea shoots bought from a chinese market, very disappointing. Havent tried this, but this is my suggestion: I would cut them up a bit if they are big and try boiling/blanching them instead of stir fry before assuming they are no good. Sometimes thats the best treatment for chinese greens - when they are tender to your taste, drain, run under water to stop cooking, thoroughly drain and dress or stirfry to season. If they wont soften before they crummy, then well a puree is probably the best expedient as mentioned. Hope you report back. Tue Feb 24 16:46:06 -0800 2009 4449034 11130 jen kalb 2 4449152 My mom actually does pea shoots Korean style by blanching. First blanch them, then rinse and squeeze as much water out as possible. Then add 1 T. chopped garlic, 2 T. soy sauce, 1 T. sugar, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1/2 T. red pepper flakes and 1 T. of sesame seeds. Best served cold. She also does a kimchee out of them which is pretty darn delicious. Tue Feb 24 16:51:09 -0800 2009 4449132 56183 soypower 1 4449203 Too old and/or too much stem or you have the "small" type rather than the juicier "large" ones. You need to pluck off most of the stem if they're "small" --- put some newspaper down on the kitchen table, spread out the pea shoots, then enlist the help of the children in the household to pluck off the stems. Tue Feb 24 17:09:25 -0800 2009 4449034 10039 Melanie Wong 1 4449216 There are 2 types of pea shoots, referred to in Chinese as "large" (da dou miao) and "small" (xiao dou miao). The large ones are used for stir fries and the smaller ones are actually tougher and are used for soups. Counter-intuitive, I know. Tue Feb 24 17:12:50 -0800 2009 4449034 10195 KTinNYC 1 4449580 My guinea pig loved mine.... Tue Feb 24 19:24:23 -0800 2009 4449034 39504 Shrinkrap 2 4449632 andthebestresponseyet . . . lol Tue Feb 24 19:47:53 -0800 2009 4449580 155034 alwayscooking