Edamame Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz. frozen edamame in the pod
- 1 T. salt
- ¼ c. chopped white onion
- 3 T. fresh minced ginger
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 T. sambal oelek chili paste
- 1 T. white miso
- 2 T. rice wine vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¼ c. grapeseed oil
- 3-4 T. cold water
- 2 T. chopped cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Fill a large bowl with water and ice.
Bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Add edamame and salt. Bring water back to a boil and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the edamame and transfer them to the bowl of ice water. When chilled, drain again. Shell the edamame, rinse, and spread on paper towel.
Transfer shelled edamame to food processor bowl along with onion, ginger, garlic, chili paste, miso, vinegar, and lime; blend until smooth
Drizzle in grapeseed oil and then cold water, adding water one tablespoon at a time until a nice dip consistency occurs. Add cilantro and pulse a few times. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Learn More About Edamame
Japanese edamame (eh-dah-mah-may) and Chinese mao dou (mow doe) are the same vegetable—green soybeans. To simplify let’s just call them by their popular name—edamame. Growers use specialized soybean varieties for edamame but they’re essentially the same plants you see drying in farm fields destined to become tofu and other soy products. For edamame, the pods are pulled from the plants before they reach full maturity.
The fruit of the soybean is dramatically different when harvested early. Fully mature soybeans are starchy and high in protein much like other legumes, distinct for their prominent beany flavor when cooked. Harvested green, they are sweet and buttery with a slightly nutty flavor.
Edamame are often found this time of year in farmers markets. Far and away the most common—and convenient—way to buy them is in the frozen foods section of the grocery store.
To prepare: Boil fresh or frozen edamame (still in their pods) for a few minutes in salted water then plunge in ice water to stop the cooking process. Edamane’s fuzzy, fibrous pods are inedible but provide a protective capsule for cooking the beans. Properly cooked, the beans inside their pods will have a firm, dense texture (toothsome), not soft like green peas. Shelling the beans before cooking is not recommended as they become mushy and lose much of their flavor.
To serve: In their simplest form, just sprinkle the warm pods with Kosher or sea salt. Amp up the flavor by stir frying the cooked pods with garlic, then finishing with soy sauce, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes.
To eat: Here’s the popular way to enjoy edamame as an appetizer—pick up one pod a time, place the length of the pod to your lips, and squeeze to pop the beans into your mouth. Another method is to pull the pod between your teeth to jettison the beans onto your tongue.
Featured Recipes
Rhubarb & Strawberry Crisp
Combine tart rhubarb with sweet strawberries, add a streusel topping, and bake until bubbly. Dessert doesn’t get easier—or more classic—than this. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You’re sure to get rave reviews!
Farro Salad with Grilled Vegetables
Chewy farro grains are delicious in this autumn-y salad. Recipe yields enough for dinner for 2 to 4 with some left for a couple of lunches. To do this, make the base with dressing, farro, and grilled veggies. Add fresh veggies to the base as you go.
Pecan and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Roasting amps up the flavor in everything including pecans. Chef Kurt's attention to detail takes a traditional chocolate chip cookie to another level of yum!
Onion Soup
Onions, the simplest of pantry staples, mingle with butter, broth, and herbs to become luxuriously smooth and delicious. Add "homemade" croutons and a blend of cheeses to make a complete and satisfying meal.
