Edamame | Imamother

etky

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 7:18 am

I have a bag of frozen edamame beans (in the pod) and I don't know what to do with them.
Actually, I'm an edamame novice. I've had them once or twice at friends' homes but have never made them myself.
DD, who detests most vegetable, has shown an interest so I'd like to prepare them for her.
I'd like something I could serve with Shabbat lunch, room temperature or warm.
Any ideas or tips?

gp2.0

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 7:33 am

I usually just prepare them like it says on the package, microwave a couple minutes until they're hot. Sometimes they come salted otherwise I add salt. My kids just eat them plain. We love them!

BUT - big but. Before eating them, open 3-5 pods and inspect for big white worms/larvae. If you find any, you'll have to check all of them. If you don't find any, the whole bag is probably ok. Edamame has translucent greenish-clear worm-like parts where each bean is connected to the pod - that's not what I'm talking about. The larvae will be white, bigger and segmented.

5mom

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 7:44 am

Spread them out on a cookie sheet, spray with oil, season with salt and pepper (and red pepper flakes if you like) and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Yummy and easy.

etky

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 7:49 am

5mom wrote:

Spread them out on a cookie sheet, spray with oil, season with salt and pepper (and red pepper flakes if you like) and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Yummy and easy.

So this is what I don't get about all the recipes that I've seen: if you don't eat the pods, why season them? Does the seasoning permeate the pods and infuse the beans themselves?

Amarante

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 8:58 am

Love these.

The salt is very important. Since I eat by sliding the pod through my mouth, the salt on the pod flavors it in the same way that a salted glass rim flavors a margarita.

If you are shelling them to use them in salads, I would think it is less critical.

gp2.0

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 9:02 am

etky wrote:

So this is what I don't get about all the recipes that I've seen: if you don't eat the pods, why season them? Does the seasoning permeate the pods and infuse the beans themselves?

You need to open the pods with your fingers and thats when the salt moves from the pod to the beans.

gp2.0

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 9:05 am

Amarante wrote:

Fun. I used to eat them like this until I found my first worm. Never again.

I'm always surprised that with all the dumb videos going around with people shocked at finding worms in various foods (which are usually hoaxes) I've never seen a video of the huge worms sometimes found in edamame. It's not like it just happened to me once. It happens every now and then.

juggling

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 9:56 am

gp2.0 wrote:

Right, they were a favorite at my house for a while, then I heard about the worm thing. Sometimes I find them packaged already shelled. Otherwise, unfortunately I have stopped buying them.

gp2.0

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 11:20 am

juggling wrote:

Right, they were a favorite at my house for a while, then I heard about the worm thing. Sometimes I find them packaged already shelled. Otherwise, unfortunately I have stopped buying them.

Aww. You can still eat them...you just have to check them first. No big deal.

juggling

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 11:22 am

I guess. But half the fun is sucking them out of the pods. Plus, if I buy a bag of them in the shells, and then shell them, it ends up a really small amount. For more work than it's worth, usually.

sky

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 11:25 am

gp2.0 wrote:

Thank you! I never knew this.

lucky14

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 11:29 am

gp2.0 wrote:

ewwww I never thought of this! I check all my other veggies for worms (had a close call with one of those mini peppers once), but I never thought to do so with edamame. I'm gonna shell them with my hands in the future. ugh.

anyway, to answer the original question. I boil them in water for 5 minutes then drain and season with a lot of salt and pepper and I usually put soy sauce on them too. yummy. you can serve them hot or cold so they're great for Shabbos.

Amarante

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 11:33 am

I've never ever found a worm in any edamame - whether homemade from the frozen bag or in a Japanese restaurant.

I will continue to live dangerously. :-)

As my mother used to say, don't worry about a worm - worry about half a worm. :-)

gp2.0

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 4:10 pm

sky wrote:

I googled larva and edamame and saw some pictures I wish I could unsee.

Lol. Imagine seeing them IRL after you've already eaten some without looking... 😑

thunderstorm

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 5:07 pm

gp2.0 wrote:

Oh! My! I had no idea about the worm issue! Are the worms on the pod or on the edamame itself? I need to know what to look out for.

gp2.0

Thu, Dec 15 2016, 8:16 pm

Bizzydizzymommy wrote:

Oh! My! I had no idea about the worm issue! Are the worms on the pod or on the edamame itself? I need to know what to look out for.

Inside the pod. Its not that common to find one but if you do find one, IME most of that bag is probably infested.

That's why I check 3-5 pods and if they're good I assume the whole bag is good, otherwise I'd find one in those first 3-5 pods I check.

etky

Sun, Dec 18 2016, 1:57 am

So I ended up steaming them in the microwave for a few minutes and then salting them. I checked a few and then just popped the beans out of the rest of the other pods.
DH and I really enjoyed them (I added them to a green salad and some we just noshed on plain) but DD said they were 'tasteless' and decided she wasn't into them after all.
Other DD turned up her nose and said they reminded her of this horrible Japanese restaurant she had eaten at recently.
DS recoils in horror from any veg. and this was no exception.
Oh well, I tried.