Chinese five-spice boiled green soybeans (edamame) 五香煮毛豆
A guide to making Chinese boiled soybeans, also called edamame. Simmered in a savory broth with aromatics like chiles, ginger, scallions, peppercorns, and star anise, these protein-rich soybeans are salty, full of flavor and delicious served chilled as a snack or an appetizer.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Snacks and Appetizers
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds (900 grams) frozen green soybeans in their pods
- 2 tablespoons whole Sichuan peppercorns
- 4–5 dried red chiles
- 2 star anise pods
- 1 Chinese cinnamon stick (cassia), optional
- 3 bay leaves
- 4-inch piece ginger, cut into thin slices (doesn’t need to be peeled)
- 3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch sections, both green and white parts
- 2 ½ tablespoons kosher salt*
Instructions
- Take the bag of frozen soybeans out of the freezer. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, toast the dried chiles, peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves over medium-low heat, stirring them around the base of the pot. When the chiles are slightly darkened and the spices smell very fragrant, pour in 8 cups (1920 mL) water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the scallions, ginger, and salt and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover the lid but keep it slightly ajar, and allow the broth to continue building in flavor while you prepare the soybeans.
- Using a pair of sharp scissors, snip about ¼ inch off the ends of each soybean pod. You can skip this step if you’re short on time, but this allows the liquid to penetrate each pod so that the beans have more flavor.
- Uncover the pot and bring the simmering broth back to a rolling boil. Toss in the soybeans and boil on high heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. To check doneness, crack one open and taste a bean— it should be tender but still have a bite to it, not mushy, and the pods should still be a vibrant green color.
- Remove from heat and let the soybeans continue soaking in the pot— they are essentially marinating as they sit in the cooling broth.
- You can serve these at room temperature after 2 hours, but for the tastiest results, transfer to the refrigerator and continue soaking overnight, and enjoy chilled.
- Store remaining soybeans in their liquid in the fridge for up to five days.
Notes
- *You want the liquid to be quite salty, since the flavor has to penetrate through the shells to the beans. Taste and adjust the recipe as needed; I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, so if you’re using Morton kosher salt or sea salt, I would decrease this amount to 2 tablespoons.
- You do not need to fully thaw the frozen soybeans prior to cooking. Thawing them slightly will just make the ends easier to trim.
- To preserve the color of the soybeans, remove them from the liquid immediately after cooking and spread out on a baking sheet. Wait until the hot broth has fully cooled before you return the pods to the liquid. This is an extra step but it prevents the green from dulling.
Keywords: edamame, soybeans, Chinese boiled soybeans, boiled edamame