Sesame Snow Pea Salad

This dish was kind of one of those last-minute things. I went to the grocery store, never intending to come home with a bushel of beautiful snow peas, but you know how when you shop for food when you’re hungry and absolutely everything calls out to you? Apparently, my body was craving some perfectly green and crisp snow peas 😛

EIther way, I’m quite happy that I ended up with these, or I never would have made this dish, which turned out spectacularly! This is a fun alternative to the typical leafy salad that a lot of us eat alongside our meals. I think it would be great served with a teriyaki chicken breast, or even a burger. It’s pretty quick to whip up, and it can just sit in the fridge while you make the rest of you meal. I would, however, warn against keeping this in your fridge overnight, or for too long, as the marinade will turn the snow peas kind of brownish—don’t get me wrong, it will still taste the same, but it won’t be as aesthetically pleasing.

This dish is actually, pretty refreshing. You get the crisp, fresh snow peas, the zingy ginger, the toasty sesame flavor, and the umami-ness of the soy. I sometimes also like to throw in some chopped, roasted cashews to this salad for an additional crunch, though it’s wonderful just on its own.

Sesame Snow Pea Salad

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 10 ounces fresh snow peas, washed and ends trimmed
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp grated, fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp black sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp chopped green onion, white and light green part only

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the show peas and blanch them by cooking for 30 seconds, and immediately draining under cold water.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remainder of the ingredients. Add in the snow peas and toss to coat.
3. Place in the fridge for up to an hour, and at least 30min, before serving.