Sugar snap peas stir fry with garlic & sesame

Sugar snap peas stir fry has a delicious garlicky bite and plenty of crunch. It is tossed in a sauce of tamari, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Finish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. It’s an easy side dish that’s ready in just 10 minutes! Vegan and gluten free.

When my husband and I first got married, we lived close to P.F. Chang’s, a Chinese food restaurant chain.

At that time they had several veggie side dishes that ranged from $3 to $5. They had a simple stir-fried spinach, spicy green beans, seasoned asparagus, cucumber salad, and a sugar snap peas stir fry with garlic.

We’d split one entrée and then get a whole bunch side dishes. It would be a monstrous feast with so many plants. Yet our check would be something like $18.

It was maybe too good of a deal. They don’t offer most of those sides or prices anymore.

And it’s moot for me anyway, because these days my closest PF Chang’s is a couple hours away.

No worries, though. Because a sugar snap peas stir fry, loosely inspired by what I used to get at PF Chang’s, is super easy to make at home and every bit as inexpensive.

Plus, this side dish is ready in just 10 minutes.

How to prepare sugar snap peas

Sugar snap peas are incredibly simple to use.

You don’t have to shell them. You can eat the whole pod. I often enjoy them raw on their own, in salads, or as a dipper with hummus.

They have a wonderfully crisp texture that pops in the mouth and natural sweetness.

I buy the kind of sugar snap peas that are already prepped & stringless. Just give them a rinse, and they’re ready.

(I get mine at Trader Joe’s, but they’re available at lots of grocery stores.)

If you get sugar snap peas at the farmers market, or if you buy the kind that aren’t stringless, you may want to take the extra step of removing the stems and “string.”

Just snap off the stem & pull back the string like a zipper pull. (Here’s a YouTube video showing the simple process.) 

You don’t have to cook sugar snap peas for long. They’re best when they still have some crunch, and are bright green in color. (Overcooked sugar snap peas become kind of a dull green.)

How to make stir fried sugar snap peas

Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe.

1. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients:

• Tamari
• Rice vinegar
• Sesame oil
• Maple syrup

2. Bring a large skillet to a medium heat with oil. Add minced garlic. If you like, you can also add freshly grated ginger. Sauté a couple minutes, until fragrant.

3. Add sugar snap peas and combine. Sauté a few minutes more to warm the sugar snap peas.

4. Add the sauce, making sure everything gets coated. Cook another minute or two. Add salt and more tamari to taste. (I usually like to add 2 or 3 more dashes of tamari.)

Finish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Make it your own

You can easily make this stir fry your own by tweaking the ingredients.

• Use agave syrup instead of maple syrup, or omit sweetener completely
• Add more or less garlic
• Add or omit the freshly grated ginger
• Increase the tamari, rice vinegar, or sesame oil
• Add sriracha or chili pepper flakes for heat

What to serve with it

Serve this colorful side dish with any of the following recipes:

• Vegan fried rice with Brussels sprouts
• Kimchi fried rice
• Pineapple fried rice
• Spring roll tortilla wrap with peanut sauce
• Potsticker soup
• Bulgogi tofu bowls
• Cold peanut noodles 
• Vegan bánh mì

How to store and reheat

Any leftovers will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for three or four days.

Reheat in a skillet with a little oil or in the microwave until warmed. Refresh the seasonings with a dash of tamari, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, if necessary. Remember, a little sesame oil goes a long way. 

You can also enjoy the leftovers cold like a salad.

Sugar snap peas stir fry with garlic & sesame

Stir fried sugar snap peas are an easy side dish, ready in 10 minutes. This recipe was inspired by an old favorite at PF Chang's, a Chinese food restaurant chain. It has a delicious garlicky flavor with a dash of sesame oil & sesame seeds.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Vegan

Keyword: easy vegetable dish, vegetable stir fry

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 44kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 teaspoon tamari plus more to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon maple syrup or agave syrup
• ▢ ½ teaspoon organic canola oil or your preferred oil
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic or more to taste, minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon grated ginger Optional
• ▢ 10 ounces sugar snap peas
• ▢ Pinch salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

• ▢
  In a small bowl, combine tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and maple syrup. Set aside.
• ▢
  Bring a large skillet to a medium heat with organic canola oil (or your preferred oil). Add minced garlic and optional grated ginger, if using. Saute a couple minutes, until the garlic is fragrant.
• ▢
  Add sugar snap peas to the skillet. Use a spatula to fully incorporate it with the garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes more, until the sugar snap peas are fully warmed.
• ▢
  Add the tamari/rice vinegar mixture to the skillet. Fully combine it with the sugar snap peas, making sure everything gets coated. Cook another minute or two longer.
• ▢
  Taste and add salt & more tamari, to taste. (I usually like to add 2 or 3 more dashes of tamari.)
• ▢
  Finish the dish by sprinkling it with sesame seeds.

Notes

The sugar snap peas I buy are stringless and prepped. So you can just rinse them with water in a colander, and then they are ready to use. If the kind you buy have stems and/or strings, you may want to snap off the stems, and pull back to remove the strings.

Garlic cloves vary in sizes. So add more or less garlic, depending on the size of the cloves & your affinity for garlic.

If you're a fan of ginger, grated ginger adds a nice bit of zing. However, ginger tends to stick out in a dish. So if you'd prefer to focus on the garlic, just leave out the ginger.

To grate ginger, peel a part of a ginger root using a vegetable peeler or spoon. Then grate with a Microplane zester or ginger grater.

To keep this dish gluten free, be sure to use gluten free tamari.

Leftovers will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.

Reheat in a skillet on the stove with a little bit of oil, or use the microwave. If necessary, refresh with more tamari, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. (Remember, a little sesame oil goes a long way.) The dish is also nice cold, like a salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 44kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 771IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg

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