Hi ggull,

Thanks for reporting back & taking the time to have a look around the 2
farmers market. I've heard lots about the Hmong growers across the pond
where you are. They seem to be extremely good at growing vegs. & supplying
them all over the States. btw... read the post on LA Times food section by
toledo. It's about the Hmongs.

OK i've found some info about pea shoots & i think the common English name
for it is snow pea shoots & within the Cantonese speaking community, the
name for it when translated into English is 'Holland beans' ie. snow peas or
sugar pea. Here's a link & photo of it
http://www.theproducehunter.com/prod...ay.asp?ID=2275 The photo shows
the leaves, some shoots & tendrils & the article describes it as "... the
thin, delicately crisp new growth of the snow pea plant, including the
tender uppermost leaves and the tendrils" & it goes on to mention the
preference for the younger tips rather than the stem/body & older leaves.

I don't know maybe the variety the Hmong grow in the states have more tender
stems but the ones we get served in restaurants here in the UK are mainly
greens & tips, sometimes we get stems too but if it's a really top Chinese
restaurant i.e. you pay £££ for a plate of it, it'll be young leaves & tips,
no stems & just like spinach, they wilt & shrink & you can imagine the
chopstick fencing duels & fights over this plate of greens. It's normally
the first plate to be empty too!

As for the actual size of the leaves, the really expensive pickings for the
restaurants are the young leaves & shoots & as shoots go, they're no larger
than... i would say 4cm or about an inch & half. When i grew mine last
year/2 years ago. I had the plant trailing up a stick with fully grown
leaves, it eventually ended with a few young leaves, tendrils & the
'enclosed' or slightly opened shoot that looked like a 'green bud' but it's
basically all leaves & is soft & tender if you squeeze it. I just plucked
these & a few young leaves. I would imagine the restaurant would do the same
although how much of the plant/veg is actually delivered to them i don't
know. Maybe they get given a bunch with stems as you've described but the
chefs would clean & pick only the shoots & young leaves to be cooked. Like i
say... in cheaper restaurants you'll find the stems included as well. I
think in general, we're talking about the same veg. here but maybe different
varieties. And also the preference for younger leaves & shoots instead of
stems & grown leaves when served in expensive Chinese restaurants.

In Asia.. i think they have a different varieties. I've seen ones with stems
& small leaves but they're pale green in colour? but the pick of the crop,
the expensive stuff is always in a smaller bag, just the tips & you'd be
lucky to see it because there's very little of it & they sell out really
fast. You've got to get up at 6am & be at the wet market with all the hustle
& bustle, shouting & screaming too. Oh that's if you live out in the sticks,
in town it's probably all supermarkets.

Well i hope that clears up any confusion.... i'll try & look for sugar pea
seeds or snow pea seeds & plant them soon & report back in a few months
time, unless the wood pigeons get to them first, then it'll be roast squab
or pigeon & game pie!

DC.



"ggull" > wrote in message
...
> "ggull" > wrote
> >
> > "DC." > wrote
> > > Ask the Hmong if the pea shoots/pea-pod tendrils they sell are the
same
> > ones
> > > as the Chinese restaurants. That's the best way of finding out & if it
> is,
> > > please ask them what variety it is. I might fancy growing some again
as
> > > Autumn is just round the corner. Thanks.
> >
> > I'll see what I can get from them.
>
> Well, I actually went to two farmers markets and ran into two booths
> seemingly from the same Hmong outfit. The pea-pod shoots were sold out at
> one, but they had plenty at the other, go figger.
>
> Anyway, I forgot to ask the first part of your question. But from the
> handful of times I've had them in restaurants, they certainly seem the
same
> as to overall size and configuration. I've certainly never had the almost
> sprout-like ones you mentioned.
>
> Freshness seems to be a key. Their regulation 'bunch' is way more than
one
> serving, and I cooked some the same night I got them, then again the next
> day in the same way (break stems into short lengths, stir fry in oil until
> wilted, then add chow fun noodles and a bit of sauce), and they were
> significantly tougher (especially the actual curly 'tendril' part) the
> second day both in the picking over and the eating.
>
> As to your second part, what variety, one flat out said it didn't matter
> much, they used just "regular peas", meaning English peas (the type you
> shell before eating). The other referred me to some woman (non-Asian)
they
> seemed to know, and she basically said the same, suggesting that what she
> called "field peas" (meant for ground cover) should be fine, and the seed
is
> cheaper. But it wasn't clear she had done it herself. There was also an
> opinion that snow peas might be appropriate. Best I can say is try a few
> varieties and report back in the spring :-).
>
> To those asking about which markets the Hmong sell at in the Boston area,
> the ones I saw were both on Wednesday afternoons, Somerville (Davis
Square,
> 12:30-6?) and Arlington (Center, 1:30-6:30). One stand (I forgot to ask
at
> the other) said they are also at Newton on Tuesdays, and there was a
recent
> article in the Boston Globe that said they were at "some in Boston,
> Brookline" and the Somerville and Newton ones' I mentioned (but didn't
list
> Arlington). The article is at:
> http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articl.../short_orders/
>
> and for posterity since these only remain up for a month or two:
>
> "A tasty twist
> They curl up in bizarre shapes. What are those green things? They're a
> spring delicacy in Chinatown: pea shoots, also called pea tendrils ($2 a
> bunch), which are available in farmers' markets through September, thanks
to
> staggered planting by the Hmong farmers of Lancaster and Dracut. One bunch
> is about 1 pound. The shoots have thick, corrugated stems with leaves as
> round and big as quarters jutting out at odd angles and those intriguing
> tendrils twisting into interesting shapes. The taste is cress-like. Wash
and
> cut into 2-inch lengths and add raw to salads, or stir-fry in mild oil
with
> garlic for 2 minutes or until they wilt. Sprinkle with soy. "Do not
> overcook," advises Maria Moreira, who works with the Hmong on her
Lancaster
> dairy farm. They are best when slightly crispy.
> ANDREAE DOWNS
> Pea tendrils are at many farmers' markets, including some in Boston,
> Brookline, Newton, and Somerville."
>
> There was a nice picture in the paper, but it's not on the site; too bad,
as
> it might resolve some of the confusion of what we're talking about.
> Incidentally, the leaves *are not* "as round and as big as quarters" (an
> American coin about 1/2 inch or 1-2 cm across), but, well, leaf-shaped and
> up to 2 or even 3 inches.
>
>