Frozen edamame is a fantastic snacking option that you ought to try out if you haven’t already. This nutrient-dense soybean is harvested when it’s still young, and green and is a famous Japanese treat that’s recently become a hit in the United States too. It’s easy to snack on and comes with myriad benefits.
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Frozen Edamame
For starters, frozen edamame is a protein powerhouse that also packs in a lot of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Just one cup has 17 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber, leaving you feeling sated for an extended period. It’s also exceptional for folate, iron, magnesium, and vitamin K ensuring that you’re maintaining wellness all around.
Frozen edamame is an excellent choice for anyone looking to watch their weight or cut out carbs. It’s a low-GI food that helps prevent sudden spikes in blood sugar levels, making it an excellent option for anyone looking to manage diabetes. So, get your hands on frozen edamame, it is just what you need to amp up your snacking habits.
What is Edamame?
Frozen edamame is a super easy and cool snack option. It comes in bags that can be stuffed right in your freezer and cooked in just a few minutes. To prepare the frozen edamame, steam it, boil it, or nuke it until it’s hot and cooked to your liking.
Not only is frozen edamame a dope snack by itself, but it’s also a mega-flexible ingredient.
You can throw it into salads, stir-fries, soups, or pasta dishes for extra fiber and protein. It’s an even better alternative to chips and crackers when you need a snack that fills you up and satisfies you.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when enjoying frozen edamame: make sure it’s cooked through and not too hard, add some spices or sauces to give it a little more kick, and if you’re allergic to soy, steer clear of edamame and other soy products to avoid any possible allergic reactions.
How to Cook Edamame
To cook edamame at home, start with fresh or frozen edamame in the shell. I use frozen because it’s easy to get. The pods are then steamed until they are light green and warm. Drain them and sprinkle them with sea salt or toss the pods in unsalted ginger-garlic sauce (it’s so good).
How to Cook Frozen Edamame (Shelled)
Often found in the health-food freezer case, frozen edamame usually comes shelled, and because the beans are cooked before they are frozen, they don’t require much cooking time. Unless the package directions or your recipe specify otherwise, here’s how to cook shelled edamame from a frozen state:
- Bring a pan of water to a boil
- Add frozen edamame
- Boil until thoroughly heated through. In this case, the edamame cooking time is generally two to three minutes. Note that some recipes might call for cooking edamame longer if the beans are to be mashed into a spread. That’s the case with this Edamame-Lemongrass Hummus recipe
- Drain in a colander
If adding frozen edamame to salads, sandwiches, or other recipes in which they will be served cool or cold, you’ll still need to cook them thoroughly first. After cooking, run them under cold water to cool them down before adding them to the recipes.
Test Kitchen Tip: Wondering how to cook frozen edamame that’s still in the shell? First, you’ll have to find some. Frozen unshelled edamame is generally harder to find than fresh-shelled edamame. Look for it at health-food stores, the health-food section of your grocery store, and natural markets. Cook according to package directions.
How to Cook Refrigerated Edamame
Look for fully cooked, shelled fresh edamame in the produce section of your grocery store. In this case, you can cook edamame in a microwave for just a few minutes to warm the beans up.
Make a Spicy Garlic Ginger Sauce
This sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for about a day. It’s very easy to do. Simply heat minced garlic and ginger in a little oil until fragrant (less than 1 minute). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soy sauce, something sweet like maple syrup, and something spicy like sambal olek or sriracha.
I like the sambal orek which is the powerhouse of the kitchen. It consists of crushed raw red pepper, vinegar, and salt. It is also sold at most grocery stores.
Spicy Garlic Ginger Edamame
This spicy garlic edamame is surprisingly easy to make and tastes great. Cooking edamame at home is easy and only takes a few minutes. The recipe calls for edamame to be cooked in the shell. However, I don’t eat mussels. To eat the beans inside, use your front teeth to scrape the beans out of the shell. They pop out easily.
Frozen Edamame Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh or frozen edamame in their pods
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil like avocado, grape seed, or safflower oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari
- 2 to 3 teaspoons of pure maple syrup, sugar, or honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek or Sriracha
Direction
Cooking Edamame
Edamame can be cooked on the stove or in the microwave.
Boil the edamame: Boil plenty of water in a pot and add a teaspoon of salt. Add edamame and bring to a boil again. Heat until light green, 3-5 minutes. drain.
Microwave edamame: Place edamame in a microwave-safe bowl and add 1/4 cup water and a pinch of salt. Cover the bowl partially with a plate and microwave until light green. Depending on your microwave, this will take 1-5 minutes.
Make The Sauce
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger. Bake for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat, add the soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, and chili sauce, and mix. Taste and season with additional maple syrup to balance the soy sauce or chili sauce to make it spicier. Mix the edamame with the sauce and enjoy.
Frozen Edamame Sustainability
Frozen edamame is a smart, planet-friendly choice that won’t break the bank. These beans are great for the soil and require fewer artificial fertilizers. Plus, they’re vegan, which means their carbon footprint is much lower.
You can also try these different recipes like The Best Edamame Salad Recipe, The Best Edamame Snack, and The Best Dried Edamame to Satisfy Your Cravings.
Frozen Edamame Cost-Effectiveness
Edamame is also a snack that won’t hurt your wallet; you get a lot of servings for a little coin.
Frozen Edamame Potential Risks
Stocking up on edamame makes sense – it can keep in your freezer for ages, so you’re not wasting food or cash. Of course, there are some things to keep in mind. Anyone with soy allergies needs to steer clear. Also, if you eat too many soy-heavy foods, you might have some stomach trouble. Just listen to your body and don’t go overboard.
FAQs
Frozen green soybeans are pre-boiled to maintain freshness, so they are half-boiled. Thaw in the refrigerator or heat in the microwave for a few seconds before eating. Edamame is peeled and used in soups and salads.
Available in shells, pods, fresh or frozen, edamame is a popular plant-based food with a range of health benefits. Edamame is naturally gluten-free and low in calories. Contains no cholesterol and provides protein, iron, and calcium.
When you’re ready to use the container, add water to the frozen beans (no need to thaw) and place them in the microwave with the lid on. for 5 minutes on high heat. Remove the cooked edamame from the microwave, strain, and add sea salt.
Conclusion
Frozen edamame is a super food that you can enjoy in so many ways, and it’s packed with all the good stuff your body needs, like protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals. And the best part? It doesn’t hurt the planet to grow it, so you can feel good about eating it.
Cooking it up is a breeze – just steam it, boil it, roast it, or zap it in the microwave, and it’s ready to eat. Plus, you don’t even have to waste time popping it out of the shells because it’s already done for you.
The mild flavor of frozen edamame makes it perfect for use in tons of different dishes – stir-fries, salads, soups, and more. And you don’t have to break the bank to make it a regular part of your meals – it’s easy to find and buy in bulk at the grocery store.
When you add it all up, frozen edamame is a tasty, healthy, and cheap way to keep your meals interesting and your body happy. So go ahead and give it a try – your taste buds and your wallet will thank you!