SUMMER
EDAMAME RICE
Preparation Time:
10 Minutes
Cooking Time:
50 ~ 60 Minutes
Serving Size:
4 Servings
Get intoxicated from the rich umami and fresh fragrance of dadachamame, a traditional summer dish served in Tsuruoka.
HOW TO MAKE:
Wash the rice well and drain the water until the water runs almost clear. Add water to your washed rice according to your rice cooker's instructions but slightly reduce the amount of water.
Remove edamame from pods
Add in edamame and seasonings
Cook rice according to your rice cooker's instructions
Once the rice is cooked, mix well and serve.
NOTES
Mixing in some glutinous rice will make it even tastier.
If you are using raw edamame pods, rub the pods with salt and leave it aside for 10 minutes. It makes it easier to remove the edamame beans from the pods.
Another way of making edamame rice; You can also parboil the edamame beans, and use the boiling liquid and seasonings to cook the rice. Once the rice is cooked, add in the boiled edamame beans.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups rice
1 cup raw edamame (removed from pods)
2 ½ cups water
1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon salt
DADACHAMAME
Did you know 'dadacha' means father in the local dialect? Since the olden days, it is well-loved among locals and has recently received more recognition from the rest of Japan. The best time to eat it is during late August.
Dadachamame are a variety of soybean that is one of the local specialties of Tsuruoka. They have a unique subtle sweetness and fragrance, packed full of umami. They contain more antioxidants such as alanine, GABA (a type of amino acid which improves blood flow to the brain and activates cerebral metabolism), and ornithine than any other types of beans. Tsuruoka's dadachamame is said to be Japan's most delicious edamame bean.
The primary production area is filled with sand brought by the rivers. It is thought to be optimal for production of dadachamame. Therefore, the dadachamame do not taste the same as they originally do if the seeds are brought out to other soils and grown there. For that reason, they can only be grown in limited areas and produced or distributed in markets only in small quantities, compared to other edamame.
Dadachamame can trace their origin to a tojiro dadacha which is an edamame variety bred by a farmer in the early 20th century in the Shirayama area. Even today, dadachamame farmers handpick seeds and manually select good ones with varietal characteristics to cultivate. Through such an effort, a wide variety of breeds have been produced, including wase and okute.