Exotic yet familar, this innovative combination of pureed edamame beans, feta, yogurt, and olive oil makes a deliciously distinctive dip. It’s a lovely appetizer, a wasabi-pea-green and salty-not-quite-sour dunking medium for rice crackers or vegetables to snack on while the grill does its magic on dinner.
Because we cannot grow hibiscus in Michigan, I was sitting in the shade beside the pool contemplating how the unusual and exotic is often what we do not have easy access to. I felt extravagant relaxing from a gentle float in the pool, listening to the gurgling waterfall and feeling quite comfortable in the 100° plus day. I arranged the lizards in a position prelude to a kiss… (no, it wasn’t heat stroke: hover over the photo above!)
We are back in Michigan and as I sat in the shade on by back stoop I was wishing for exotic hibiscus flowers. My eye was caught by a foreign shape. The flowers on the Rose of Sharon bush glowed in the sunshine. Most of the year, the bushes are scraggly, weedy and without distinction. Today I realized how unusually tropical and similar their beauty is to the flowers I enjoyed during my Missouri vacation—the familiar revealed as extraordinary.
To be honest, this dip did not turn out as well as it usually does. One needs flavorful olive oil, and the only kind I could find in the pantry (being a good guest and not wanting to snoop through all the cupboards) was a “light” oil without much flavor. The feta, the only brand available in the store we went to was dry and very bland.
But my biggest mistake was that I remembered the 14 ounces of edamame beans, but forgot that that was the weight of beans in their shells. That quantity of beans to the other not-so flavorful ingredients just would not blend into a nice smooth tangy dip…
Bright Green Edamame Dip
Edamame Dippu
•250 Recipes in a Traditional Spirit•
by Hiroko Shimbo
page 176
1 ½ cups dip
- 14 ounces edamame (green soybeans) in their shells
—about 1 cup of shelled beans—you can buy them frozen already shelled - 2 ounces feta cheese
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Add part of the salt and taste: some feta cheese is very salty! - a sprinkle of paprika for color contrast
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the edamame until they are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain them in a colander and fan to speed cooling. Or put them into cold water and shake dry.
Shell the beans, and discard the shells. In a food processor or blender, blend the beans and all the rest of the ingredients to make a creamy paste.
Serve the dip with rice crackers or crudites.
- edamame beans,
- feta, yogurt, and olive oil
Tess's Japanese Kitchen 
Wonderful!
This recipe is usually a very nice starter for a party. But cooking in someone else’s kitchen with unfamiliar stores (quite a drive away) made for less than stellar results. Even so, the meal with my brother and sister-in-law, was beautiful. A little hunger may whet the appetite, but it’s the warmth of companionship which makes the meal special.
Love this type of dip, Tess… edamame has such great color, I’ve been using it quite a bit in cooking these days
Hi Sally,
I’ve been sort of out of the web world, but have been reading your blog. Thanks for the comment, as busy as you must be! Edemame are so pretty, quick to add color and a little of the exotic without much fuss. To tell the truth, I’ve been pretty much cooking quick to make meals lately. Tasty, but without much mucking about.
You are too sweet! I always read your blog, even if you take a break for a while, it doesn’t matter – life goes through changes, priorities move around, blogging is not always at the top. But when you come up with a new post, I can hardly wait to read it!
All the changes in your life, and stresses, oh my. I admire your stamina and energy to keep on blogging. Perhaps a bit intimidating? Ah… Your posts are like traditional mail from a friend—I think you are the oldest (longest) person I’ve met online. The good old days! <3
Indeed… it’s been many, many years…. I considered shutting down the blog for a while, but then realized that it’s a good way for me to relax and do something “different”
so I keep going, at a slower pace, but going ;-)
Hmmm lovely :)
Can you get edamame beans in Amsterdam? But with all the lovely cheeses and yogurts and wine, maybe they are not so exciting. LOL This recipe really is lovely. But perhaps not very exotic for us here…
Yes, the bauty of Amsterdam is that almost anything is for sale here. For example the best japanese ingredients: http://dlcsmanagement.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/japanese-in-amsterdam/
Eating green things seems to equate to happiness. How different from childhood!
I second Sally. Eagerly await time in your kitchen with you but everything has its season.
What a delicious looking dip! And I love the sense of movement and speed in the photo as you whisk it. Do you usually use the food processor at home?
For this recipe I always use a food processor, a mini processor. Which I found in my sil’s pantry. But my mistake about using too many beans made the recipe less than its usual greatness. The pictures are Mr. Tess whipping and chopping by hand in hope of making the dish palatable. It was OK but dumb Tess sometimes…
So I never really got a “food perfect” picture. The action shots are real and sometimes what I cook is not perfect. One of my pet peeves is having dish towels hanging on the oven handle. But it made an interesting picture with the white shape there and the paper towel on the counter. Interesting rather than perfect?
Oh and your flower shots are extraordinary!
Googling for this post, I found out that those flowers are edible! I guess that I have seen hibiscus teas for sale. But never Rose of Sharon. Haven’t had a chance to taste one (or more) yet. Wonder if one could just use them as a garnish without getting poisoned?
Tess, me again! Just made the dip this morning, and used it to fill pieces of cucumber, hollowed out. We have a potluck in the department today, I am sure it will be a hit! It is DELICIOUS! I have an edamame dip on my blog, but yours is much much better. I will be blogging on it for sure in the next couple of weeks, and will let you know once the blog post is up (with all credit to you, of course!)
great recipe!
Yes, it is really good! Please also include a reference to Hiroko Shimbo and the book I began with: it is her recipe!
The Japanese Kitchen
•250 Recipes in a Traditional Spirit•
by Hiroko Shimbo
Don’t worry, I included a link to the book – before I publish the post I can send you a version and if you want me to change anything, I can change before publishing…. I still have your email, so that’s going to be easy.
I will have it out for you before Monday, ok?
That’s great. Though I’m sure whatever you write will be wonderful… I am looking forward to hearing how your department party went!
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