edamame?

[Mrsblocko]

ok, so what is it?  I keep seeing it places and hearing about it, but I've never tried it.  I know it's a type of soy bean, but how do you cook/use it?  Is it supposed to be mushy or crunchy?  I've seen both fresh and frozen at the store.  What is the difference in preperation of fresh vs frozen?  What does it taste like?  Is it more bean like or nut like?  I've had salted soy nuts, and I liked them, but they didn't look anything like edamame.  Can anyone clue me in?  could I ask more questions in this post?  could I!?

[LordVader]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edamame

[shortleggedsarah]

Edamame are young soy beans that are still in the pod. Edamame should be a light, bright green and free from excessive blemishes- a little dirt is fine. I have only seen edamame frozen in bags. To cook them, I usually steam, pod and all, them in the microwave (dorm room living), then top them with a little pepper and sea salt. They should not be mushy or crunchy, rather, firm. To eat them, you pop the bean out of the pod with your mouth so you can get the flavor of the seasonings from the pod. There might be variations on this, but this technique is fun : ).

 It is not dried, so it is not like a nut,  it almost has the color of a lima bean.
Edamame is high in nutrients. Besides eating them plain, I also add them to salads amd stir frys. They are good with soy sauces as well.

foodnetwork.com has great ideas for edumame.


k, so what is it?  I keep seeing it places and hearing about it, but I've never tried it.  I know it's a type of soy bean, but how do you cook/use it?  Is it supposed to be mushy or crunchy?  I've seen both fresh and frozen at the store.  What is the difference in preperation of fresh vs frozen?  What does it taste like?  Is it more bean like or nut like?  I've had salted soy nuts, and I liked them, but they didn't look anything like edamame.  Can anyone clue me in?  could I ask more questions in this post?  could I!?

[rixies]

I've never actually prepared edamame at home, but it really looks easy enough. The first time I had it was at a japanese restaurant. I tried to eat the whole pod...they laughed at me! So I quickly learned you just use your teeth to pop the seeds out into your mouth.

I've only ever had it steamed and salted. If you have any japanese restaurants around where you live, you may want to stop in and see if they have it! You can try it out. I don't know how to explain the flavor, but it's good. It's not a bold or strong flavor at all. Just...a bean thing with salt on it. I like edamame.

[smittenheart]

my son-10 yo loves edamame..we get our from trader joe's and I boil them and throw some salt in there..my 4yo loves it too but he doesnt like the unpeeling part so after they are peeled he is all about it

[CraftyZedral]

The first time I ever had edamame, they were flavored with garlic, chilie and star anise.  Maybe a few other things too, but those are the flavors that stood out the most.  They were sooooo good that way.  Someone brought them to class and we couldn't stop eating them.