Edamame are immature whole green soybeans—the only vegetable with a complete protein that’s similar to animal protein. And because they’re actually kind of fun to eat, they’re an excellent snack. . . and pretty tasty with beer, too.
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3How To Make Edamame
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You Will Need
- A 3- or 4-quart pot
- Water
- 3 tbsp. salt
- 1 lb. edamame in pods, frozen or fresh
- A colander
- A sink
- 2 dishes or bowls
- Coarse sea salt
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Step 1
Fill pot & put on stove
Fill the pot three-quarters full with fresh, cold water, and put it on stove on high heat.
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Step 2
Add salt
Add 3 tablespoons of salt to the water.
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Step 3
Reduce heat & cook
When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high, add the edamame pods, and cook for 5 minutes.
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Step 4
Turn off stove & place colander
Turn the stove off and place a colander in the sink.
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Step 5
Drain & cool
Pour the hot water and edamame into a colander, and run cold water over the cooked edamame to cool it.
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Step 6
Place in dish
Place the cooled, drained edamame in a dish.
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Tip
If you like, sprinkle the pods with coarse sea salt.
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Step 7
Eat
To eat, press the pods between your fingers to push the beans out, or put two-thirds of the pod in your mouth and, clamping your teeth gently over the pod, pull it out, popping the beans into your mouth.
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Tip
If you want to use edamame in a salad, cook them first and then shell them all by hand—trying to shell an uncooked edamame is like trying to take food from a sumo wrestler.
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Step 8
Discard pods
Discard the pods into another dish—nobody likes reaching for an edamame and coming up with an empty shell!
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Fact
Although soybeans are native to southeast Asia, the U.S. is the world's largest producer of the bean, primarily used to make vegetable oil and as animal—not human—feed.
