Japan · Appetizers and Sandwiches · Vegetarian
Edamame
Young green soybeans boiled in salted water — a classic Japanese snack. Simple, nutritious and delicious as is, or elevated with sesame oil, chili flakes and soy sauce.
15 min 180 kcal 4 serves Easy🌿Vegetarian🇯🇵Japan★★★★★4.7· 6 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 500 gfrozen edamame beans
- 1.5 tbspcoarse sea salt
- 1 tspchili flakes
- 1 tbspdark sesame oil
- 1 tsptoasted sesame seeds
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tbspsoy sauce
- 1 tspsugar
Method
- Bring 1 liter of water to a boil and salt generously. Do not thaw the beans in advance.
- Add frozen edamame to boiling water and cook for 4–5 minutes. Do not cover the pot — this keeps their bright green color. Drain.
- Classic: place warm beans in a bowl and sprinkle with coarse sea salt to taste. Serve immediately.
- Spicy version: return beans to the pot, add salt, sesame oil, toasted sesame and chili flakes. Cover and shake well. Serve hot.
- Soy sauce version: heat sesame oil in a pan, cook minced garlic on very low heat. Add chili, soy sauce and sugar. Stir until sauce thickens. Turn off heat, add cooked edamame and toss to coat.
FAQ
Edamame contains all essential amino acids, which is rare for plant-based foods — that's why vegetarians and vegans value it so highly. Nutritionally it's closer to meat than to regular vegetables. If fresh or frozen soybeans aren't available, the closest substitutes are green lentils or young chickpeas (both give a similar texture when boiled). For an izakaya-style serving, roasted chickpeas with salt can replace edamame — they also work great as a beer snack.
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Comments (1)
Make this edamame in individual portions for formal occasions, or as one large shared board for casual settings. The recipe works both ways — just adjust the assembly, not the ratios.