Wok Charred Edamame with Togarashi

The last time that I visited Fort Lauderdale for work, I went down to the hotel restaurant for a drink and dinner. The food is pretty good, but sometimes it can be hit or miss. As I sat at the bar drinking a nice local brew, I decided to get an order of Wok Charred Edamame with Togarashi. I love Edamame, and, the name of the dish, with its reference to Togarashi, piqued my interest.

I have previously posted about Togarashi. It is a uniquely Japanese spice blend that is heavy on the chile pepper, but includes some other interesting ingredients, such as dried seaweed and hemp seeds. The key thing to remember about Togarashi is that the preparation involves seven ingredients. That gives you Shichimi Togarashi.

Having prepared some Shichimi Togarashi for myself, I decided to recreate the dish that I had at that Fort Lauderdale restaurant. I searched the Internet and came across a few recipes, which I used as a starting point. The recipes called for ingredients that I would have expected in the dish, such as rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.

However, in the end, the recipes fell a little short from what I had in the restaurant. The restaurant version had a more reduced, slightly sticky sesame sauce that coated my fingers with a very delicious chile sesame mixture as I ate the Edamame. This turned the dish into a "finger-licking" good appetizer. My re-creation of Wok Charred Edamame with Togarashi produced a runnier sauce and, hence, cleaner fingers. Still, the flavors were essentially there, especially the Togarashi, which makes the dish. 

WOK CHARRED EDAMAME WITH TOGARASHI

Recipe adapted from multiple sources

Serves several

Ingredients:

• 4 cups edamame in shell, thawed
• 1 tablespoon shichimi togarashi
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

1. Prepare the edamame.  Heat a wok over high heat. Add the peanut oil or vegetable oil. and Add the edamame. Toss the edamame until they are coated with the oil. Then add the rice vinegar and togarashi. Toss again to ensure that the edamame are covered with the spice blend. 

2. Finish the dish. Allow the edamame to sit in the hot wok for about 30 seconds to char. Then remove from heat, stir in the sesame oil and the sesame seeds. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

ENJOY!