Quick-Cooked Edamame with Kombu Dashi or Soy Sauce

Makes: 4 servings

Time: 15 minutes

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This super-easy and delicious dish cooks up in no time and makes a terrific lunch — hot or cold — on top of soba noodles or rice. If you don’t have dashi or stock, use soy sauce as directed; it’s even quicker and easier and nearly as good.

Other beans you can use: Any fresh shell bean, like lima, fava, or cranberry, will work.

• 1 tablespoon good-quality vegetable oil
• ¼ cup chopped scallions
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup Kombu Dashi (page 100), vegetable stock (pages 97–100), bean-cooking liquid, or ¼ cup good-quality soy sauce mixed with ¾ cup water
• 1 small carrot, julienned or chopped
• ½ cup snow peas, trimmed and julienned or chopped
• 2 cups shelled edamame (fresh or thawed frozen)
• Salt and pepper

1. Put the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the scallions and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the scallions are soft, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the dashi and bring to a steady bubble. Add the carrot, snow peas, and edamame and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Quick-Cooked Edamame with Sea Greens This is good with almost any sea green, though I like hijiki: Replace the carrot and snow peas with about ½ ounce (⅓ cup) hijiki; soak it in cold water for 10 minutes and drain before adding.

Quick-Cooked Edamame with Green Tea Replace the scallions with 5 or 6 shiso leaves, chopped, and substitute freshly brewed, not-too-strong green tea for the dashi.

Quick-Cooked Edamame with Ponzu The zing of the yuzu juice is fantastic: Add the same amount of julienned daikon as carrot and omit the snow peas. Substitute ¾ cup Ponzu (page 657) for the dashi.

Quick-Cooked Edamame with Fishless Fish Sauce 
Replace the ginger with 1 or 2 hot fresh chiles (preferably Thai), minced, to taste, or red chile flakes to taste. Substitute ¾ cup Fishless Fish Sauce (page 656) for the dashi. Proceed with the recipe and add 4 or so chopped fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai) and sprinkle with several tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts before serving.