Edamame

Édamame

What it is

The name means stem bean: in Edo they were sold boiled and still attached to the cut stalk, a summer street food eaten standing up. They are ordinary soybeans picked at about four-fifths of maturity, and their sugar starts converting to starch within hours of harvest, which is why frozen ones are often better than fresh ones that have travelled.

In the kitchen

Rub the pods with coarse salt before boiling — it scours the fuzz and drives salt through the shell — then five minutes at a hard boil and straight onto a tray to cool in the air, never in water. Salt them again while they are steaming hot; a pod salted cold tastes of nothing.

Goes with

Salt Yuzu Sesame Soy sauce Shiso Katsuobushi (dried bonito)

Same species

Chunjang Dark soy sauce Doenjang Douchi Fermented bean curd Guk-ganjang

Also used with

Hijiki

In season alongside

Sweetfish (ayu) Bell pepper Bitter melon Borage Celery Cucumber

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