ottawa foodies

I was reading TIMES magazine during my son's piano lesson this evening. One of the editions has the topic of "How food can prevent breast/prostate cancer?". It indicates that Edamame is in fact the soybean we always talk about. It was harvested before it reaches the "hardening" time.

Edamame is a nutritious and tasty vegetable. Edamame beans are a source of vitamin C, vitamin E, protein and dietary fiber.

food.oregonstate.edu

Let's have more Edamame. Beer goes well with Edamame snacks!

Edamame sure are a satisfying snack! However, I should mention that there's still a lot of controversy about the health impact of soy. Here's a snippet from the wikipedia site that gives you an idea:

"Soybeans also contain isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen, that are considered by some nutritionists and physicians to be useful in the prevention of cancer and by others to be carcinogenic and endocrine disruptive."

That's right -- some experts say it *prevents* cancer while others say it *causes* cancer! This leaves the consumer in a bit of an awkward situation. ;-)

For more info: en.wikipedia.org

Because of this, I choose to enjoy soy -- but only in moderation. No soy milk for me!

Interesting! I guess there are always two sides of a story.

I believe that as long as we don't "overdose" ourself and maintain a balanced amount, we should be okay.

But then you look at Japan and China, soy beans products such as tofu, soymilk (I like the fresh one though) are one of their main food diet. The % of women getting breast cancer in Asian countries is a lot smaller than North American. But then this trend has changed and I think it has a lot to do with the control of pesticide used.

I used to get edamame when I would go out for Japanese food - then I discovered how SIMPLE it is to make at home - now I never have to order it in a restaurant ever again!

Just by a bag of frozen edamame at an asian grocery. Throw it in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, and sprinkle with salt. It will be EXACTLY like what you get in restaurants.

My boyfriend LOVES it. It's a good way to get him to eat his vegetables.

Since I'm lazy, where is the best place to buy edamame for home-cooking?

You can buy edamame at the Wah Kiu (sp?) grocery store (or as my 5 yr old son calls it "We will, we will, Wah Kiu") across the street from Kowloon Market. It is in the freezer near the BBQ pork stall. Just ask the guy at the counter. The package is green and has instructions how to cook them on the back.

This just in: I found them in the Nature's Pantry in the market too. And some large supermarkets: Loblaw's on Rideau for sure.

They have 1 lb bags of these at Uni Mart (Selkirk Plaza beside DuBarry's Buffet)for $1.59. I now have 3 of them in my freezer. The plan: to cook them up and sit down in front of the TV with a nice big bowl of them, on the pretext that I don't plan to share them with the kids. We'll see if it works. Of course there is the chance I may not share.

I just bought a box of Edamame at Costco. 4 lbs. for $6.99. Made in China.

We just tried it. This is a very Chinese type of Edamame (Chinese call it Mao Dou and Japanese call it edamame to mean "green soybeans"). I put them in microwave for 3 minutes and sprinkled them with salt.

I taste the difference between those I ordered from Japanese restaurants and those I bought at Chinese grocery stores. I prefer the kind at Japanese restaurants. The beans inside the shell are smaller. It is fun to use my teeth to squeeze the beans out.

The Edamame I bought at Costco are bigger. This reminds me of the frozen Mao Dou I bought at "New 168 Market". The one I bought from 168 Market has no shell, just like Green Giant's green peas (you get it from the open fridge section, across the fresh fish counter). Normally, I stir-fry those Mao Dou with Chinese mushrooms and shredded pork tenderloin.

My understanding is that in Asia they use soy in a much different way than we do, and the way they use it is not as potentially dangerous as the way we do. The way it's processed.

ksw, I mentioned earlier that Costco has Edamame for sale. You just reminds me that I still have few bags in my basement freezer. I almost forgot about it.