This green pea stir fry contains a couple of lovely and highly explosive Asian flavors! Are you familiar with ingredients such as oyster sauce, freshly grated ginger, soy sauce and sriracha chili sauce?
Add to that a little splash of lemon juice and you are all set!
How hard is it to bring a little Asian persuasion onto your dinner table?
What Asian ingredients and condiments you have in you fridge, kitchen cupboards and pantry at this very moment?
Do you like cooking Asian dinners at home?
Asian Ingredients
Or are you more hesitant to try it?
Then I suggest that you start with this very basic green pea stir fry.
The funniest ingredients that you really need here are the soy sauce and the oyster sauce.
The rest of the ingredients are very straightforward. Green peas, onion, garlic, fresh ginger, lemon juice, hot chili sauce, tomato paste and a little cooking oil.
Well I am pretty sure that you have all these things at home already?
Am I right?
Hang on, can you use ground ginger for this recipe?
Fresh Ginger
Of course you can.
But I also have to add that your green pea stir fry will not be that bright and fresh. I understand, perhaps you are not too keen on buying fresh ginger for just one recipe?
Do you know that you can easily freeze the leftover fresh ginger once you have peeled it?
That is what I always do.
I first peel the fresh ginger. Did you know that peeling ginger goes best with a teaspoon? Try it!
After that you can cut it up, slice it, grate it, turn it into a paste.
Then just wrap it up and freeze it for later!
Hong Kong XO Sauce
You can even grate or slice up the rest of that piece of fresh ginger already and freeze it so it is ready to use in an another recipe.
OK, so this pea stir fry is actually a deja vu recipe for me.
Just because this Asian green pea stir fry looks pretty much like a copy of my highly popular Hong Kong fried beans. I was looking for a fast last minute vegetable side one day.
With hardly any fresh vegetables in my pantry.
So I grabbed the ever present bag of frozen green peas out of the freezer and went to work.
Condiments
And like always I opened my fridge.
And started to toss in some delicious ingredients and condiments that I love so much. Oyster sauce, freshly grated ginger, soy sauce, sriracha hot sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice and so on.
I chopped up half a leftover onion to add a little extra crunch to this pea stir fry.
And it worked!
Best Green Pea Stir Fry Asian Style
It was only later actually that I realised that I had seen this side dish before.
This pea stir fry looked and also tasted indeed very familiar all of a sudden. I used almost exactly the same spicy and sticky marinade that I always put together when I prepare my version of a homemade Hong Kong XO sauce.
However this time I didn’t add green beans to it like I said before but frozen green peas.
And it was and absolutely delicious side dish for a couple of juicy pork chops on the grill.
In the end I thought that I could have even tossed in a handful of cooked noodles. Just to turn this vegetable side dish into a wholesome and filling Asian style noodle and pea stir fry for a funky dinner!
Zesty Marinade
Boy, that zesty marinade is so addictive.
And I guess that same sticky red marinade can also be used to add a lovely flavor to other vegetable stir fries as well!
Let’s take for instance bok choy, spring onions, morning glory or sugar snaps.
Or how about cauliflower and broccoli florets? And I can also see it with stir fried eggplant.
Add as much of the hot chili sauce as you want. Some like very spicy food, others like to keep it a bit milder.
I am definitely a huge fan of spicy food so bring it on!
Enjoy!
Best Asian Green Pea Stir Fry Recipe
Pea stir fry with explosive Asian flavors: oyster sauce, freshly grated ginger, soy sauce, sriracha chili sauce, tomato paste and lemon juice!
- 10,5 oz frozen green peas (300 g)
- ½ small onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 2 tsp lime juice or lemon juice
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp hot chili sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- a handful fresh cilantro and mint leaves
- 1 tbsp fried onion (optional)
First of all peel and chop the onion and garlic clove. Pour the vegetable oil in a large saucepan and place it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and garlic.
Stir fry for a minute. Then add the soy sauce, the oyster sauce and the hot chili sauce.
- Stir again. Now add the lime (or lemon) juice and the tomato paste as well as 2 tablespoons of water.
- Stir the marinade well. Turn the heat a little lower and add the freshly grated ginger.
- Stir and let the sauce simmer for a minute. Then add the frozen green peas.
Turn the heat back up and stir the peas regularly for about 4 to 5 minutes or until they are fully thawed and warmed through but not mushy. The onion should still be a little crunchy as well.
Check the seasoning and add extra soy sauce, hot chili sauce, lime juice or soy sauce to taste if necessary. Transfer the peas to a large serving bowls. Garnish with the fresh mint and cilantro, and fried onion (optional).
Are green peas healthy?
Yes, green peas are a healthy food.
They are an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, folate, phosphorus, and manganese. Green peas are also a good source of protein and contain antioxidants.
Green peas are sweet in flavor because they contain natural sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose.
Peas also contain a lot of dietary fiber and other minerals like magnesium and iron which can contribute to their flavor.
Are frozen peas healthy?
Yes, frozen peas are healthy.
They are similar to fresh peas in terms of nutritional value and contain many of the same vitamins and minerals. Frozen peas are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, folate, phosphorus, and manganese.
Can I use snow peas instead of green peas in recipes?
Yes, snow peas can be used in place of green peas.
They are similar in texture and have a similar flavor profile. However, snow peas are sweeter than green peas, so you may want to adjust the amount of sugar or other sweeteners in the recipe.
Green beans and edamame are also good substitutes for green peas.
Do I need to thaw frozen peas before cooking?
Not necessarily but you sure can.
Thawing them will ensure that they cook evenly and don‘t become soggy. You can thaw them by running them under cold water or leaving them in the refrigerator for a few hours.
I prefer to add them still frozen, thawed peas are often wrinkled and look less appetising if you ask me. That is how I do it, what do you prefer?
Hi Saliandra, thanks for trying this one out! Glad you liked it! Cheers, June
One of my staples for the past year! This recipe is so delicious.
This is a great recipe – I’ve prepared t twice now and our guests have loved it
That was delicious. I never would have thought to use tomato in any form in a stirfry. It would probably be good with other vegetables, too.