When I traveled to Oklahoma recently, I didn’t realize that the trip would bring a whole new understanding of edamame my way. I am accustomed to eating edamame from pods at sushi restaurants and have incorporated the shelled soybeans into some of my Asian-themed salads and dips in the past. But at a restaurant called The Wild Fork in Tulsa, my friend Myra and I had edamame cooked with a Southern spin—sautéed with meltingly sweet scallions that transformed the taste in an exciting way. The warm edamame were served upon a pile of spinach slivers and topped with tempting strips of crisp wontons. The dish was simple yet innovative, and when I returned home, I started trying to figure out how to make it in my own kitchen.
While I don’t fry foods much these days, I am glad I heated up some oil to crisp up the wontons. I used grapeseed oil, which has a high smoke point, but peanut oil could also work. And because I was only using 5 sheets of wontons, I didn’t need much oil and the process went really quickly.
To impart that Southern taste to the edamame, I started with the scallions, sautéing them slowly to release as much of their sweetness as possible. I cranked up the heat a little bit more when I added the beans and seasoned them well with salt and pepper. From the restaurant’s menu, I knew that an herb butter was part of the secret to flavoring, so I minced up some parsley and blended it into softened butter. This was the last addition to the warm edamame.
The restaurant served its edamame dish upon a bed of fresh spinach, julienned into thin slices. I lightly dressed my spinach with a simple vinaigrette of oil and white wine vinegar. The contrast of the slightly acidic spinach with the warm, oniony edamame worked great.
We loved the interesting contrasts in texture of this dish. The wonton strips offer a fun and tasty crunch against the slightly firm, but flavorful edamame, and the spinach provides a clean finish to each bite. I may explore the Oklahoman standards of fried okra or biscuits and white gravy on my next visit to the state, but I’m glad I came home with a Southern take on soybeans.
Sautéed Edamame with Spinach and Crispy Wontons
Ingredients
For wonton topping:
- 5 wonton wrappers cut in 1/4 to 1/2-inch strips
- enough grapeseed or peanut oil to reach a 1-inch depth in frying vessel
For edamame:
- 1 tablespoon butter softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 6-7 scallions green and white parts sliced (to total about 1 cup)
- 12 ounces frozen shelled edamame thawed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
For spinach base:
- 2 cups thinly sliced fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as grapeseed
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For wonton topping:
- Heat oil over medium-high heat to 350 degrees.
- Lower strips of wontons into oil carefully. Do not crowd the pan. Flip the strips quickly so that they brown evenly.
- Remove strips with slotted spoon or spider to drain on paper towels. Allow to cool.
For edamame:
- Mix together butter and minced parsley leaves in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add scallions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted.
- Raise skillet heat to medium high and add edamame to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 4 minutes.
- Add the herb butter and toss with edamame. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
For spinach:
- While the edamame is sautéing, mix together the oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss spinach with vinaigrette.
- To assemble: Place spinach on large plate. Spoon warm edamame over spinach leaves. Top with wontons.
I would have never put those ingredients together! How many tries did it take you?!?😉 Your videos of each step, at least for me, gave me comfort knowing that, yes, I could do this! What a great recipe!