Edamame Recipe

Prepare water

Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil in a medium pot. Add 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt to the boiling water.

Cook edamame

Add 1 cup of edamame in pods to the boiling salted water. Return to a boil, then cook for 3–5 minutes for frozen edamame (slightly less for fresh) until pods are bright green and the beans inside are tender but still slightly firm. Taste one to confirm doneness.

Drain and shock

Drain the edamame in a colander and, if you want to preserve bright color and stop cooking, immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water for 1 minute. Drain well and pat dry with a towel. If you prefer to serve hot and stir-fried, skip the ice bath and leave them hot.

Stir-fry finish (optional, for stir-fried style)

Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and stir for 20–30 seconds until fragrant (do not burn). Add the drained, hot edamame pods to the skillet and toss to coat for 1–2 minutes. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes if using and continue to toss so the pods pick up flavor and begin to blister lightly.

Season

Remove skillet from heat and drizzle 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil over the edamame. Toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle finishing salt to taste (or leave plain if you requested salted).

In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce with 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce. Add 1 teaspoon rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon warm water if the hoisin is very thick. Stir until smooth.

Divide the sauce into two small dipping bowls. Garnish with sliced scallion and a pinch of sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately alongside the hot or room-temperature edamame so diners can squeeze the beans from the pods into their mouths and dip as they like.