Edamame hummus

 
This recipe is a healthy lunchbox filler or an easy party food.

Ingredients:
200g edamame
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
Half tsp sesame oil
Half clove garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp water
Freshly ground salt and pepper (to season)

You'll need:
Pestle and mortar
Blender

Instructions:
1. Toss the sesame seeds on a roasting tray and place in a pre-heated oven for about 5 minutes.

2. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the hot sesame seeds until most of the seeds are cracked and ground.

3. Place the frozen edamame in a saucepan of boiling water, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Then drain.

4. Remove the edamame beans from the outer pod by using your fingers to gently squeeze the beans out of the pod. Remember you can't eat the outer pods!

5. Place all the cooked edamame beans, ground sesame seeds and the remaining ingredients in a blender and blitz until the texture is nice and creamy.

6. If you think the mixture is too dry then add a little more olive oil or water.

Tips:
- To add a little spice to this recipe add cayenne pepper or Japanese seven spice (nanami togarashi).
- This hummus goes really well with toasted pitta bread, carrot or celery sticks.

JAPANESE SNACK: EDAMAME - SOYA BEANS IN A POD

Edamame is one of my favourite Japanese snacks. You can buy them frozen in some supermarkets and most Asian markets. They're full of nutrition and relatively cheap to buy.

To cook:

Put them in a saucepan of boiling water for only a few minutes, then remove from the water and season with salt. 

How to eat:

Using your fingers or teeth pop the soya beans out of the pod and eat. Do not eat the outer pod. 

Tips:

They are a healthy substitute for crisps and go really well with beer/wine. 

JAPANESE STYLE OMLETTE IN 10 MINUTES

Omu-raisu is a Japanese omlette with fried rice in the middle served with tomato ketchup. It is one of the many modern Japanese dishes brought into Japan from abroad. This is my version of the Japanese omlette with mixed vegetables instead of rice.

 

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs (free range/ organic)
Half tsp soya sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
Few handfuls of spinach leaves
3 shitake mushrooms lightly fried 
Boiled edamame (soya beans) optional
Tomato ketchup to garnish 

Vegetable oil for frying 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Lightly mix 3 eggs, soya sauce and caster sugar in a bowl using a fork or chopsticks. 
2. Put on a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
3. Add the egg mixture to the frying pan and move around so the egg is evenly spread on the pan (cook the omlette slowly). 
4. When the egg starts to cook around the edges use the side of a spatula or chopsticks to draw the edge of the egg into the centre allowing the uncooked egg sitting on top to cook. 
5. Continue to do this a few times until there is a little liquid left sitting on top. 
6. Take the omlette off the heat. 
7. Place all the ingredients including the spinach leaves, mushrooms and edamame in a line down the centre of the omlette.
8. Fold the omlette like a wrap. 
9. Carefully put the wrapped omlette on a plate as shown in the picture. 
10. Drizzle tomato ketchup over the omlette.

 

TIPS:

1. Remember that the egg will continue to cook when it is folded so leave a little liquid on top before taking off the heat. 

2. You can eat this omlette without fillings or use another type of filling.

Edamame - a Japanese healthy snack

When I mention Japanese food to people they are always curious to know exactly what Japanese food is, how I cook it and where I get the ingredients.

So I'm going to use this blog to help everyone out there who'd like to try cook Japanese food at home but haven't yet because they think it's too complicated or too difficult to get the ingredients.

When I returned to Ireland from Japan, I use to get my Japanese friends to send me ingredients as it was relatively difficult to find ingredients at that time here in Ireland. However, today there are Asian markets scattered across Ireland with a bigger selection of Japanese ingredients to allow me to cook authentic Japanese food. 

Today, I'm going to introduce you to EDAMAME which is green soya beans in a pod.

Trust me if you try this healthy snack once you'll be hooked! It's filled with nutritional value, tastes great, is easy to prepare and low in calories. At home, I tend to eat them when I'm peckish instead of a sugar filled high calorie snack that I'll regret the minute I've eaten it. Edamame is also a great appetiser or party food and goes well with wine or beer. And kids just love edamame, my nieces and nephews have great fun popping the beans out of the pod!

You can buy frozen edamame in most Asian supermarkets (I buy them in the Asian Market on Drury Street in Dublin, Ireland). 

Birdseye also sell frozen edamame out of the pod in most big supermarkets in Ireland.

How to prepare frozen edamame:

1. Put the frozen edamame in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
2. Drain the edamame in a colander and run them under cold water to cool.
3. Sprinkle with salt (preferably sea salt) before serving. 

How to eat:
Suck the soya beans out of the pod. Do not eat the pod which is the outer skin. I always serve an empty bowl with edamame so the pods can be thrown in this bowl.

Tips:

1. Try not to overcook the edamame. While the edamame is boiling in the pot just pick one out and try it. I think they are better crunchy and not overcooked. 
2. You can also add salt to the pot of boiling water before adding the edamame. 

Why not:
Sprinkle cayenne pepper over the edamame just before serving if you like spicy food.