Good edamame are harvested in late summer. That is when the soybeans crops turns from yellow to dark green.

When we go to Japanese pubs, edamame are always on the menu. When you walk down the supermarket isle, you can always get a bag of frozen edamame. Edamame are available all year around. BUT, you can only get the local varieties on it’s true season, which is now. I don’t know how many varieties of edamame exist, but there are lots.

Today I boiled a bag of Dadacha mame, a pretty famous variety from a city in northern Japan call Tsuruoka. It’s darker and hairy(lol) and it taste richer than the normal ones. I’ve never seen them when I was a kid but in about 20yrs it became very popular. If you happen to see one in your local supermarket, give it a try.

Some tips for boiling the Dadacha Mame:

• Wash the bean in a cold water, rub the beans with each other and try to remove as much hair as possible.
• Put the washed bean in a small pot, add a tablespoon of salt and gently rub the bean with the salt. (You do not need to wash the salt off.)
• Add the water to the pot with the bean. The water should just cover the bean.
• Turn on the heat and when the water starts to boil, boil the bean for 2 to 3 min.
• Test the bean and if you think it’s ok, pour the water out, put the bean into a cold water asap to cool the bean so it won’t overcook.
• Place the bean in a plate and squeeze the bean out of it’s pod and pop the bean into your mouth.