Thursday, February 26, 2009

Edamame Griddlecakes...

Jeff and I first tried edamame a few years ago on a whim and have loved working the green soybeans into a variety of dishes or just popping them in our mouths as a snack with a sprinkling of salt. Tonight's dinner took them in a direction we've never used them before - savory pancakes!

These Edamame Griddlecakes with Teriyaki Sauce have you prepare shelled edamame and then drain them very well as to not make the batter too wet. So the beans have a chance to incorporate a bit more into the batter, they are roughly mashed - just use a sturdy fork and leave some chunky pieces for texture. After being mixed with milk, an egg and a couple tablespoons of melted butter, a cup of flour is stirred in just until it absorbs into the liquids. You want the mixture to be close to a thick pancake batter, so if it looks a bit too thick, add in another splash of milk.

Cooked just like a regular pancakes, you'll notice that they won't get as nicely golden like a regular pancake would as there is no sugar added - you'll know when to flip them when the edges turn from shiny to matte and bubbles come up to the surface. Since we had to do these in batches, I kept the griddlecakes warm by stashing them into the oven heated to the lowest temperature it would go to.

While not necessarily bland as you get ripe edamame in each bite, the plain bumpy griddlecakes do benefit from a dipping sauce. We prepared a homemade Teriyaki Sauce to go with these by heating soy sauce and mirin until they just began to bubble. Mirin is a sweet rice wine with a fairly low alcohol content - if this isn't a condiment you have access too, you could replace it with the same amount of honey to balance the soy. To the warm sauce, pungent grated fresh ginger and a clove of garlic are added, along with a chopped scallion or two. If you want to vary these, swap out the edamame for your favorite cooked bean and season the cakes with fresh herbs or your favorite spices that would compliment your bean of choice. If you opt for another bean, like black, how about serving them with a bowl of salsa on the side instead of the tangy sauce we made? Or pick another a lighter type of bean and serve with a dollop of pesto?

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