THE EXCITING EDAMAME | The Dish rich in several vitamins, minerals and Tasty…

BY: DR. KAVIRAJ KHIALANI- CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF.

Edamame is a soybean that is young and green when picked. Because of this, edamame is soft and edible, not hard and dry like the mature soybeans used to make soy milk and tofu. The word edamame is Japanese for “Beans on a Branch.” It is most often found in East Asian cuisine and sold both in the pod and hulled.

Although the pod itself is not edible, it adds flavor, making edamame in the pod an ideal snack. The hulled version is great for adding to rice dishes and salads. Edamame is inexpensive, with the cost of hulled being slightly higher.

Edamame served in the pod is a popular appetizer at most Japanese food restaurants. It is a good choice for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone wanting to eat healthy, particularly since it is packed with low- fat soy protein.

Edamame is sold both fresh and frozen, it can be served as an appetizer or snack and eaten straight from the pod, or the shelled soybeans can be incorporated into a recipe. When eating edamame still in the pod, the beans can be squeezed out of the pod directly into your mouth. The pods are usually salted, which adds to the flavor and experience of eating edamame. Edamame can be eaten hot or cold.

Edamame can be cooked in several ways, including boiling, steaming, microwaving, and pan-frying. To boil, add fresh, in-shell edamame to a pot of boiling, salted water and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the beans are tender.

Boil frozen edamame for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and rinse the pods with cold water, if desire, to steam edamame, place an inch of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Place the edamame in a steaming basket, steam tray, or colander above the boiling water.

Cover the pot and steam for 5 to 10 minutes for fresh edamame and 3 to 8 minutes for frozen edamame, until tender. Rinse to cool down, if desired.

My exposure with edamame beans has been a pleasant one and I have tried using it in indian recipes as well with a touch of spice and dash of herbs as well when it comes to continental fusion as well and my experiments turned out to be positive in various ways from including edamame in Chaats,

desi salad forms, in a shorba, desi mix of paprika and rustic roasted peanut flavoured edamame mashed potatoes, fusion baked dishes with Indo-Chinese style eggplant and edamame bake with achari tofu and cheese sauce, edamame birishta pulao served with Tadkewala anari raita with curry leaf dust was yum too!

Although edamame is the same soybean that makes tofu, it has more taste than the bland bean curd. It is faintly reminiscent of peas and is buttery with a hint of sweetness and nuttiness. The texture is firmer than a pea, however soft, but with a bite. Frozen edamame is more readily available than fresh. Although most often sold in the pod, frozen edamame is also offered hulled.

Bags of frozen shelled and unshelled edamame can be found in grocery stores in the freezer section. Though edamame is yet to get popular with us in our daily recipes and menus to a great extent, we need to create awareness and share ideas on how to use these beneficial & nutri-rich ingredients to avail maximum benefits from its qualities.

Here are a few Health Benefits of Edamame :

1. Edamame helps lower cholesterol levels, and assists in maintaining bone density.
2. Edamame is heart healthy food and also aids in weight loss.
3. Edamame aids in improving the digestive system and also reduces risk of cardio vascular diseases.
4. Edamame is a great immunity boosting ingredient and assists in healthy liver functioning.
5. Edamame is a great source of folate, it also helps in production of red blood cells in our body and allows us to access energy in foods.
6. Edamame is not only a good source of plant based protein but also has a good content of manganese as well which helps brain and nerve functioning well and also plays a role in the metabolism in our body.

Here are a few easy to adapt to recipes using Edamame Beans:

Recipe-1] CHICKEN EDAMAME COMBO

Ingredients:

• Edamame beans-1 cup boiled
• Chicken legs- 2 no

For the marination of the chicken legs:

• Oil-2 tsp
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Red chili sauce- 1 tsp
• Soya sauce- 2 tsp
• Tomato ketchup-2 tsp
• Honey-1 tsp
• Apply on the chicken legs and keep aside for 30 mins.

Additional ingredients:

• Oil-2 tsp
• Garlic-1 tsp chopped
• Ginger-1 tsp cut into strips
• Spring onions-3-4 sliced
• Carrots- ½ cup cubes
• White cabbage/purple cabbage- ¼ cup cut
• Broccoli /cauliflower-1/2 cup florets blanched
• French beans-1/2 cup blanched
• Fresh basil leaves- 8-10 no
• Soya sauce-2 tsp
• Red chili -2 tsp
• Water/stock-1/2 cup
• Corn starch solution-2-3 tsp
• Roasted crushed peanuts-2-3 tsp
• Peanut butter-1-2 tsp
• Lime juice-2 tsp add and serve.

Method:

1. Prepare the edamame beans and keep aside. Marinate the chicken legs and cook them in a pan or roast in the oven until well cooked. Pull out the cooked chicken flesh and keep aside for the recipe.
2. Heat oil and butter in a pan/wok and saute the ginger, garlic, spring onions for a few seconds, add in the assorted veggies of your choice into the pan and add all seasonings, herbs, sauces, peanut butter etc and mix well.
3. Add in little water/stock as desired just to cover the mix in the pan and allow to cook on a low to medium flame for 6-8 mins, add in the pulled cooked chicken pieces, edamame beans, mix and add in the corn starch solution to thicken up the mixture.
4. Check for seasonings and texture of the dish and adjust accordingly, serve hot garnished with peanuts, fresh basil leaves and greens and add a splash of lime juice and serve.

Recipe-2] EASY EDAMAME TOSSED SALAD

ingredients:

• Edamame beans-1 cup boiled/blanched to the bite
• Olive oil-2 tsp
• Garlic-1 tsp
• Shallots/ madras onions- 10-12 peeled, cut 1×2
• Green cucumber-1 no cut into small cubes
• Red capcisum-1 no, cut into small cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh herbs-2-3 tsp parsley, basil etc

For non-veg variations:

• Boiled cubes of eggs- 1-2 eggs
• Boiled cubes of boneless chicken
• Sliced chicken sausages
• Tuna fish- tinned/canned-2 3 tbsp.
• For more veggies:
• Use sliced blanched Babycorn
• Saute assorted mushrooms
• Zucchini green/yellow- ½ no cut into cubes
• Water chestnuts-1/2 cup sliced

For the dressing:

• Olive oil-2 -3 tsp
• Honey-2-3 tsp
• Lime juice-2-3 tsp
• Pink salt/ rock salt/ sea salt to taste
• Crushed black pepper to taste
• Chili flakes-1/2 tsp
• Chaat masala-1/2 tsp
• Roasted cumin powder-1/4 tsp
• White sesame seeds-2 tsp toasted
• Mustard paste-1 tsp
• Assorted lettuce leaves-1 cup for the base of the salad.

Method:

1. prepare all the ingredients for the edamame easy to toss salad.
2. arrange the crispy assorted lettuce leaves in a salad bowl/plate.
3. in a mixing bowl combine together the ingredients for the dressing and give it all a nice mix.
4. add assorted nuts like sliced almonds/walnuts/ pinenuts as well if desired and a few chopped dates too would do well.
5. Just before serving add in the ingredients into the dressing including the veg/non-veg as per the list along with the cooked edamame beans and give the salad a nice toss.
6. Arrange the salad on a bed of the lettuce and garnish with fresh herbs, sesame seeds, micro-greens etc and serve immediately.

Recipe-3] EDAMAME CASHEW FRIED RICE

Ingredients :

• Edamame beans-1 cup boiled/blanched to the bite
• Boiled white/brown rice- 2 cups
• Oil- 2 tsp
• Garlic-1 tsp chopped
• Ginger- 1 tsp shredded
• Green chilies-2-3 slit
• Red chilies-1-2 slit/shredded
• Spring onions-2-3 sliced
• Cashews-1/2 cup fried
• Carrots-1/2 shredded
• French beans-1/4 cup cut thinly
• Red/green capsicum-1/4 cup shreds
• Water chestnuts-2-3 sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Soya sauce-2 tsp
• Red chili sauce-1-2 tsp
• Green chili sauce-1-2 tsp
• Honey-1 tsp/ pinch of sugar
• White vinegar-1 tsp
• Spring onion greens-2-3 tbsp. chopped

For more variations: non-veg

Use boiled shredded chicken, roast sliced meat, medium sized prawns, poached or grilled fish could be served along as well.

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the fried rice recipe and keep ready.
2. Heat oil in a wok/ pan saute the ginger, garlic, onions, chilies for a few seconds, add in the assorted veggies, edamame beans and saute for a couple of minutes.
3. Add in the sauces and seasonings, vinegar, a pinch of sugar to taste and add your choice of non-veg ingredients as well as desired and mix well.
4. If using eggs, we can double fry and shred them/ or use scrambled eggs as well for more taste, color, flavour.
5. Now add in the cooked rice and fried cashews and stir it well with the other ingredients and cook for 2-3 mins.
6. Check for seasonings adjust as per taste and serve hot garnished with spring onion greens etc and serve hot with a gravy or main course of your choice.

Recipe-4] EDAMAME TOFU MUSHROOM TRIO

Ingredients:

• Edamame beans-1 cup boiled/blanched to the bite
• Tofu-1 cup cut into large cubes, use firm or extra firm variety
• Fresh button mushrooms-1 cup, sliced
• Olive oil-2 tsp
• Butter-1/2 tsp
• Garlic cloves- 3-4 no sliced
• Ginger-1 tsp shredded
• Onion-1 small, chopped
• Red/ yellow/green capsicum-1/2 cup shredded
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Mixed herbs and chili flakes to taste
• Water/stock-1/2 cup
• Corn starch-2-3 tsp to thicken
• Soya sauce-2 tsp
• Peanut butter-1-2 tsp
• Schezuan sauce-1-2 tsp
• Honey-1 tsp
• Assorted herbs/greens to garnish.

For non-veg variations:

use chicken liver marinate and cook it first, also we can use luncheon meat, sausages, salami etc in the similar recipe. We can also use lobster, prawns and shrimps too in a similar recipe with a twist to the usual.

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the trio combination recipe.
2. Marinate the tofu cubes with a little oil, salt, pepper, mixed herbs, garam masala power or a little all spice powder, lime juice, honey and keep aside for 10 mins, grill it and keep aside.
3. To prepare the recipe further, heat oil and butter, saute the garlic, onions for a few seconds, add in the assorted veggies and give them a nice saute over a high flame for a couple of minutes.
4. Add in little water/stock, sauces, peanut butter seasonings to taste and add in cooked edamame beans as well, mix and simmer for 3-5 mins.
5. Add in the corn starch solution and slightly thicken it all up and check for taste, add the tofu towards the end and mix lightly and serve it hot garnished with assorted seeds/ nuts and garnish it.

Recipe-5] EDAMAME ALMOND CREAM SOUP

Ingredients

• Oil-1 tsp
• Butter-1 tsp
• Garlic-1 tsp chopped
• Bay leaf-1 no
• Peppercorns-2-3 no
• Onion-1/2 chopped
• Celery-1 stalk chopped
• Edamame beans-1 cup
• Almonds-1/4 cup soaked and peeled, paste.
• Fresh cream-1 tbsp.
• Water/veg stock- 2-3 cups
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh herbs- to taste like basil, parsley, mint
• Chili flakes-1/2 tsp
• Sweet potato-1 med sized, peeled and cubed

To serve with: toasted/fried garlic herbed croutons

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the edamame almond cream soup.
2. Heat oil and butter in a pan saute the bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, onions for a minute, add in the sweet potato, edamame beans, seasonings, herbs, chili flakes and saute for 2 mins.
3. Add in the stock/ water and bring to a boil, simmer for 12-15 mins until well cooked, cool, puree and strain the mixture.
4. Bring it back to a boil, adjust texture of the soup with little stock/water and check for seasonings, add in the almond paste and cream and blend it well, simmer for 3-5 mins.
5. Serve hot garnished with slivered almonds, dash of fresh cream, fresh herbs/ micro-greens etc and serve along with bread croutons.

Recipe-6] HERBED EDAMAME PEA DIP

Ingredients:

• Edamame beans-1 cup boiled
• Chickpeas-1/4 cup boiled
• Garlic-1 tsp chopped
• Olive oil-2 tbsp.
• Lime juice-1-2 tbsp.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Mint leaves- 8-10
• Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped
• Roasted crushed cumin- ¼ tsp
• Dates-2-3 chopped
• Chilled water-2 -3 tbsp.
• Tahini paste/ white sesame seed paste-2-3 tsp
• Peanuts-2-3 tbsp. roasted
• Mayonnaise-2-3 tsp

To serve with: assorted toasted or crusty breads/ crackers/ vegetable
sticks/ fried snacks/ french fries etc.

Method:

1. Assemble all the ingredients for the dip, pre-prep as needed.
2. Using a jar of a mixer grinder or food processor, combine together the edamame and the chickpeas together with all other ingredients and churn the mixture to a nice coarsely smooth textured dip.
3. Use chilled water/ olive oil to adjust the texture as needed. Taste the flavor for herbs use basil/ thyme as well as an option.
4. Use toasted pine nuts or walnuts for a better nutty flavor. The dates used in the recipe add a nice bite and also nutritive value.
5. Remove the prepared dip and add a little mayonnaise or whipped hung curd into the mixture for more taste and texture, place it in the fridge until being used. Before serving the dip, garnish it with some toasted sliced nuts, seeds like flax seeds, melon seeds etc for a crunch, serve chilled.