I like that simple dish of salted edamame you order at a sushi restaurant at the beginning of the meal, but I’ve always thought you could do a little more with the soybeans served in their pods. Recently, I was at Thai/Japanese restaurant and I had an edamame dish that was packed with flavor. The soybeans were served hot and a caramelized still in their pods with a highly seasoned sauce.
You suck on pods to extract the flavor on the outside and to get at the tender soybeans on the inside. The garlic adds bite, the chiles some heat and the bonito flakes smoke and complexity.
Note: The sauce might taste overseasoned, but once you taste it with the soybeans, you’ll see that it’s just right.
Stir-fried Edamame
Serves 4-6 as an appetizer.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound edamame (frozen soybeans in their pods), defrosted
3-4 Chinese dried chiles, crumbled
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons bonito flakes (available at specialty grocers)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Salt
Directions
In a large sauté pan or wok, heat the oil until smoking. Add the edamame and a pinch of salt and cook until they are lightly crisp and colored, about 3 minutes.
Add the chiles, garlic, ginger and bonito flakes and cook until everything is toasted, about 2 minutes.
Add the oyster sauce and rice vinegar and bring to a boil.
Transfer the stir-fried edamame to a bowl and serve family-style, with another bowl on the side for the empty pods.
