Seasoned Edamame

My grandmother grew edamame in her backyard garden, the patch of land behind Uncle Mas's bedroom.

When they were ready to be harvested, Bachan pulled the whole bush from the ground, piled them on the concrete, then pulled off each bean pod by hand. I remember helping her when I was little, sitting on the cold concrete next to the camellia bushes by her backdoor. 

My dad grew them too. He'd bring the bushes home and dump them on the driveway in the front yard and call us kids to come and help pick the mame (ma-meh, beans).

The best part, with my grandmother and my family, was when we'd be done picking, the water would be put on to boil, then we'd all sit around eating the lightly salted, warm mame.

Back then, my friends didn't know what edamame was.

Now, everyone eats it.

Have you ever had seasoned edamame?

I started taking a bowl of edamame to parties. Everyone liked them.

At one of the parties, our friend Rick Godinez said he thought they'd be really good--con limon--with lemon. And maybe some chile.

They LOVED them!

I've tried a lot of flavor combinations with lots of different spices, but this one is my favorite and seems to go over best with guests.

Seasoned Edamame

2 packages frozen edamame

Cholula Chile Lime Seasoning

One Lemon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

There's a lot of different brands of frozen edamame. This one had a few yellow ones, don't be alarmed. I remember there being some yellow ones when I picked them off the bushes when I was little. If it bothers you, then simply eat those before you serve them.

We can't all be perfect.

Start with a teaspoon of seasoning mix and go from there, adding more if you like it stronger.

Cook the edamame to the package's directions, or if they're already cooked, simply thaw.

Use your micro-planer to add some lemon zest.

Then juice the lemon.

Add about 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for a little heat.

A finely minced jalapeno is good in here too. So is seasoning it with Spike with a combination of lemon and lime. Again, season it with what YOU like.

Stir well to coat the edamame.

Chill to serve.

If you haven't had this before, you might not know that you're only supposed to eat the inside, you don't eat the pod. You bite it or squeeze the beans right into your mouth.

You'll also need a trash bowl next to the edamame, for the waxy pods.

Be sure to label it "TRASH", otherwise you might find someone standing at that bowl saying, 'These have a really good taste, but there's nothing in them!'