Spicy Edamame (Soy Beans)

One of the simplest and most popular of Japanese appetizers is edamame, or boiled soy beans. You’ll often find a small dish of lightly salted edamame served alongside a tall beer at Japanese restaurants and bars in the West. Not only is edamame a great appetizer that is very easily prepared, but it also makes for a great snack for kids. Plain or salted edamame are often a favorite snack among children, perhaps for the taste but also because it's pretty fun to eat—edamame are often cooked in their pods and, in order to get to the tasty green soybeans, they must first be squeezed out of those pods. 

While fresh edamame in their pods can certainly be used for this recipe, it is sometimes difficult to find fresh edamame unless you grow them in your backyard, which is what my grandparents used to do in the summer. Some farmer’s markets or Asian markets might sell edamame on the stalk, especially during the summer months, but it is more commonly found year-round in the frozen section of Japanese or Asian supermarkets. For this spicy edamame recipe, either fresh or frozen may be used, but for convenience, it is easier to use a frozen bag of edamame in their shells.