Asian Beef and Snow Peas Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make beef tender and soft? ›

No need to soak fresh peas, simply cook in water/broth with seasonings until tender.

Sugar snap peas are a cross between snow and garden peas. The pods of snow peas are flatter with small, premature peas, whereas sugar snap peas are more rounded. Both have an identical nutritional profile and very similar flavors although sugar snap peas tend to be sweeter and more flavorful.

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

Why It Works. Salt and soy sauce tenderize meat, help it retain moisture, and increase its savoriness. Sugar helps browning characteristics. Oil helps distribute fat-soluble aromatic compounds over the meat.

If the meat isn't tender, the pieces will become tough and chewy from being cooked too fast. Maintaining a tender and juicy dish is a key component of stir-frying. If you have difficulty cooking meats like chicken that are prone to drying out, you can soak them in a marinating liquid for a few minutes.

Balsamic vinegar is a good marinade for red meats because it helps to tenderize them. The acid in the vinegar helps to break down some of the protein and fat in the beef, which makes it softer. The balsamic vinegar also adds a sweet flavor while tenderizing, without having to add any sugar.

Snow peas are best grown in the cooler months of the year, so any season except summer - as long periods of temperatures higher than 25°C will reduce their flowering and cropping. Snow peas seeds are large, making them easy to handle and great for kids to sow and grow in the garden or pots.

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.

What are snow peas called in England? ›

Mangetout properly means a type of garden pea picked very young, so young that the pod is still flat and the peas have barely developed. Also known as snow pea or sugar pea.

Snow peas (_Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon_) and soybeans (_Glycine max_), the source of edamame, are both legumes, and they both produce edible seeds inside their seed pods. They are distinct plants, however, and they differ in both their growth habits and the way in which their seeds are consumed.

Yes, dogs can eat peas! Most varieties of green peas are fine including snow peas, sugar snap peas, garden and English peas. They can make a great low-calorie snack in moderation, and many complete and balanced dog foods will add them in too.

Cook It Slowly

This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.

Velveting is a simple process of using baking soda or a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch and oil to marinate and tenderize economical cuts of steak, chicken and other meats before cooking. Velveting meat softens fibers to reduce toughness and enhance juiciness for maximum flavor and tenderness.

Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. Simply place the meat in between pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound it prior to cooking. If you don't have a meat mallet, you can also use a heavy kitchen tool such as a skillet, saucepan or rolling pin.