THE CHINESE BEANS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 59

CULINARY USES
SOYBEAN SPROUTS . In your kitchen, you may already have used soybeans to make
your own bean sprouts. They're worth growing if only for this purpose, providing a
fresh vegetable even in midwinter.
GREEN SOYBEANS, IN PODS . Cook the green soybeans (edamame) in their pods until
tender. Drain, season with salt or soy sauce, and serve while still warm. In Japan, diners
each squeeze their own pods, popping the beans directly into their mouths. You don't
need to add any butter or oil because the beans have such a high oil content.
GREEN BEANS, SHELLED . You'll find the flavor of soybeans mild but nutty and very
agreeable. To shell them, blanch pods briefly in boiling salted water, for about 5
minutes; let cool enough to handle and shell. Once shelled you can:
• Reheat the beans in a little broth, soy sauce, and sherry until tender, about 15
minutes.
• Cook like baby limas and combine with corn for an Asian succotash.
• Cream them, if you like creamed beans, and add a little grated ginger to the cream
sauce.
• Try them roasted and lightly salted, like peanuts.
JAPANESE-STYLE SOYBEANS. A popular Japanese festival dish is made with
cooked soybeans.
1. Simmer the cooked beans for 10 minutes in equal parts sugar and water, plus a pinch
of salt.
2. Remove from the heat and let stand overnight at room temperature.
3. In the morning, stir in a spoonful of soy sauce and reheat until the bean mixture thick-
ens and all the moisture is absorbed.
4. Serve at room temperature with broiled chicken breasts, a flaky fish, or — with the
addition of grated radish — as a dip for tempura vegetables. You can also use it as a
dessert or as a filling for pastries.