THE CHINESE WAY EDAMAME BEANS
One of our favorite healthy snacks is edamame beans, either boiled or steam-cooked (mindless munching has never been so healthy). Edamame is a green soybean in its fresh pod stage, in case you didn’t already know.
Edamame, a summer crop in China, is harvested when the weather is warm. They’ve taken over China’s vegetable marketplaces by now. Although fresh edamame is unavailable in the United States, we’re fortunate since edamame beans may be frozen.
Frozen edamame is readily available at Asian grocery stores in or out of the husk. Regarding edamame, I can’t tell the difference between fresh and frozen.
Seen in Japanese eateries, the little platter of salted steamed edamame is what most people picture when they think of edamame. I’m going to demonstrate how to prepare edamame in Chinese today.
We cut the edamame pods off at both ends in the Chinese version of the dish, allowing the tastes of the boiling liquid to penetrate the bean rather than just cover the husk. As a result, the edamame is incredibly flavorful.
Using this cooking process to suit your tastes, you can experiment with the spices you use. Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, ginger, onion, cumin seeds, rice wine, and a slew of other ingredients are all acceptable additions.
Although this is a relatively basic recipe, I think the work is well worth it because this is a wonderful twist on what you generally charge for in Japanese restaurants!
Prepared in advance, this meal is also suitable for serving at room temperature. We simply let them cool and then put them in the fridge for on-the-go munching!
INGREDIENTS
- 450g of fresh or frozen edamame
- 3 star anise
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 3-4 cups of water
- 1-1½ tablespoons of salt
- 1 tablespoon light of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Trimming the edamame’s ends with a knife or pair of kitchen shears will prepare it. Don’t cut the beans themselves, please. This will make it possible for the flavor to enter the pods.
- Boil the salt, star anise, light soy sauce, whole peppercorns, garlic, and 3 to 4 cups of water in a small pot. Reduce heat to low when water boils and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Increase the heat and add the edamame to the saucepan after 15 minutes. Boil without the lid for 5 to 6 minutes. Drain, then plate! For approximately a week, these will keep well in the fridge in a Ziploc bag or covered bowl.