Drunken Edamame
A classic Shanghai cold dish, edamame immersed in a special fermented rice wine brine, offering a rich wine aroma, refreshing and tender crunch, perfect for summer drinking.
Ingredients
9 items- Edamame (in pods) 500 g
- Fermented rice wine lees (jiuzao) 100 g
- Shaoxing wine (yellow wine) 50 ml
- Bay leaves 2 leaves
- Star anise 1
- Salt 10 g
- Sugar 10 g
- Cooking oil 1 tbsp
- Ice cubes As needed
Nutrition
Steps （6 steps）
Snip off about 0.5 cm from both ends of each edamame pod. Place in a bowl, scrub with water to remove fuzz, rinse twice, and drain.
Bring a large pot of water (about 2 L) to a boil with 10 g salt and 1 tbsp oil. Add edamame, boil over medium heat for 5 minutes until pods deepen in color and beans are just cooked without raw taste. Drain.
Prepare a bowl of ice water (ice cubes + cold water). Immediately transfer boiled edamame into the ice water, stir to cool completely (about 2 minutes). Drain well.
In another pot, add 200 ml water, 50 ml Shaoxing wine, 10 g sugar, 2 bay leaves, and 1 star anise. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes until aromatic. Turn off heat, add 100 g fermented rice wine lees, stir well, let cool, then strain to obtain the brine.
Place the cooled edamame in a deep bowl. Pour the prepared brine (or ready-made zao brine) over to completely submerge (add a little cold water or wine if needed). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, turning once midway for even flavor. Before serving, remove edamame, drain excess brine, and plate.
Tips
1. Snip ends not only for flavor but also for easy eating. 2. Adding oil to the boiling water and shocking in ice water keeps edamame bright green. 3. If short on time, use ready-made zao brine; adjust salt accordingly. 4. Longer soaking intensifies flavor, but do not exceed 24 hours to maintain crispness.
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