Snow peas

The snow pea is a legume, more specifically a variety of pea eaten whole in its pod while still unripe. The name mangetout can apply both to snow peas and to snap peas. Snow peas can be grown in open fields during cool seasons and can thus be cultivated during winter and spring seasons. The stems and leaves of the immature plant are used as a vegetable in Chinese cooking, stir-fried with garlic and sometimes combined with crab or other shellfish.