Chinese
Soy-Glazed Snap Peas
Snap peas hit a hot pan for a few minutes, then a thin soy-honey glaze coats them. They should stay crisp, not limp.
- Prep
- 8 min
- Cook
- 6 min
- Total
- 14 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- A short cook keeps the peas sweet.
- The glaze is thickened just by the heat of the pan.
- Sesame at the end adds crunch.
- It is a five-minute side.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Stir the soy sauce, honey, and vinegar together.
- 2
Heat the oil in a skillet over high until it shimmers.
- 3
Add the peas and cook 2 minutes, tossing, until bright and still crisp.
- 4
Pour in the glaze and toss 30 seconds, until it coats the peas.
- 5
Take the pan off the heat, add sesame oil and sesame seeds, and serve.
Pro tips
- Do not cover the pan. Steam makes the peas dull.
- If the glaze tastes sharp, the honey was short. Add a drop more.
- Snow peas work if snap peas are gone.
Easy substitutions
- Snap peas
- Snow peas
- Honey
- A pinch of sugar
- Soy sauce
- Tamari
Storage and reheating
Storage
Best immediately. Refrigerate up to 2 days.
Reheating
Rewarm quickly in a hot pan. Do not simmer.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 120
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop · Vegetarian, Dairy-Free
You might also like
Broccoli Salad
Raw broccoli is tossed with crisp bacon, cheddar, red onion, and sunflower seeds in a sweet-tangy mayonnaise dressing. The salad sits long enough for the florets to soften slightly but stay crunchy.
25 min · Easy
View recipe
Cilantro Lime Rice
Plain long-grain rice steamed, then stirred with lime juice and cilantro. Rinse the rice so it cooks up separate, not sticky.
23 min · Easy
View recipe
Elote-Style Corn
Corn coated in a little mayonnaise, cotija, chili, and lime. Grill it if the grill is already on. Otherwise a skillet and a cover will char it.
18 min · Easy
View recipe
Garlic Green Beans
Green beans blistered in a hot skillet with garlic and finished with lemon. A 15-minute side that stays bright instead of olive-drab.
15 min · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Potato Salad
Yukon Gold potatoes and hard-cooked eggs are folded with celery, onion, pickle, and a mayonnaise-mustard dressing. The salad is chilled so the potatoes soak up the dressing before serving.
40 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken Stir-Fry
Sliced chicken breast is cooked to 165°F, then tossed with broccoli, bell pepper, and snap peas in a soy-ginger sauce. The whole skillet comes together on one burner.
31 min · Easy
View recipe
Weeknight Chicken Stir-Fry
Chicken, broccoli, and snap peas in a soy-ginger sauce that thickens in the pan. Have the rice going before you heat the skillet, because the stir-fry is the fast part.
27 min · Easy
View recipe
Au Gratin Potatoes
Thin potato slices bake in a cheddar and milk sauce until the center is tender and the top is browned. A short stovetop sauce, then a 375°F oven, keeps the potatoes from sitting in raw milk.
1 hr 20 min · Medium
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.