How to cook snow peas perfectly every time

May 13, 2024

The best way to cook snow peas also happens to be the easiest way to cook snow peas: blanching. Blanching snow peas keeps them crisp and sweet, while brightening colour. It’s super quick and simple – here’s how.

Prep time
1 minutes

Cook time
1 minutes

Yield
Serves 4

Equipment
Saucepan
Colander

Ingredients
400g snow peas

How to cook snow peas
Step 1
Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add snow peas and cook for 30-60 seconds. Drain.

Step 2
Pat dry with a paper towel and serve.

Step 3
Pat dry with a paper towel and serve.

How long do you boil snow peas for?
You only need to boil snow peas for 30-60 seconds. Add your snow peas to a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 30-60 seconds, then drain, refresh under cold running water and drain again.

Do snow peas need to be cooked?
Snow peas can be eaten raw or cooked. However, blanching snow peas will reduce the fibrousness of the edges of snow peas, and boost sweetness and colour.

Another good way to cook snow peas is to toss them with a little oil in a hot wok for 1-2 minutes or until tender-crisp. Season and serve.

How do I prepare snow peas for cooking?
Step 1:
Place snow peas on a chopping board. Use a sharp knife to trim ends and remove the thin string from one side of the snow pea.

Step 2:
Remove the string from the other side of the snow pea. Removing the string makes the snow peas more tender.

Step 3:
Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the snow peas lengthways or halve diagonally, if desired. You can also serve them whole. Add to salads, stir-fries and soups.

Snow Peas vs Snap Peas

May 13, 2024

Snow, snap, and garden peas are all climbing plants and members of the legume family, but there are subtle differences between the three. Though they may look similar from each other, each has a different texture and level of sweetness.

When it comes to fresh vegetables, we can all agree that nothing quite compares to the flavor and nutrition of garden-fresh green peas! With a sweet and juicy crunch, tender peas can make a salad special or a stir fry spectacular, but which variety is best to use?

Types of Peas
Whether it’s your regular garden variety English shelling peas or the more exotic snow peas, there are varieties within varieties to choose from.

Why does it matter? Because different varieties of peas cook (and taste) differently. There is a flavor and texture difference in the pods.

Snow Peas
Snow peas have deliciously crisp, flat pods that are edible. They do not need to be shelled, the entire pea is consumed, pod and all.

They do have small peas inside, but the main attraction is the crunchy and tender sweet shell. They are sometimes called Chinese peas or pea pods and they’re commonly seen in stir-fries and salads. We also add them to Pasta Primavera and they make a great side dish with mushrooms!

They’re also delicious eaten raw with Easy Tzatziki Sauce (Yogurt Cucumber Dip). Remove the tough stem that is usually left at the tip of the pod and pull off the string to prepare them.

Snap Peas
Many vegetable lovers favor sugar snap peas for snacking and dipping.

Much like snow peas above, the entire pea is edible, pod and all. These peas are a bit thicker than snow peas and they’re sweeter and juicier. They can be eaten cooked or raw and do not need to be shelled. If buying stringless snap peas, you will not need to remove the string along the side.

For special dishes such as Sesame Ginger Snap Peas or Roasted Snap Peas, be sure not to over-cook them as their main attraction is their irresistible crunch! If eaten raw, try them in Asian Chopped Salad or tasty Asian Noodle Salad.

Garden Peas
Garden peas are eaten raw, steamed, boiled, or added to stews, soups, and salads. These are the peas that are frequently purchased in frozen form at the market.

When growing peas in the garden, there are several varieties to choose from, including petite peas, which are tiny and sweet! But the important thing to remember is that the shells or pods or garden peas are tough and stringy, and not good for much except the compost pile! Try some in this decadent Bacon & Pea Salad or Dill & Butter Peas!

Sometimes they are even processed and dried, then turned into “green split peas” which make a tasty Instant Pot Split Pea Soup! Always a special favorite at the holidays, Creamed Peas is a dish is made with English shelling peas.