QUICK FIX Stir-Fry Class: Hot Edamame By JET TILA Special To The Times April 3 2002 http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-040302quickfix.story ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edamame, or fresh soybeans, are often served at Japanese restaurants. But they're also easy to fix at home in a stir-fry. Specialty markets and well-stocked supermarkets sell edamame in the frozen food aisle. Usually the soybeans are in the pod, to be steamed or boiled before serving. Look for shelled edamame, if you can find them, to save time. But if you can't, it doesn't take long to pop the beans from the pods. Use vegetarian oyster sauce and water (in place of the broth) for a vegetarian dish, or make the stir-fry a little meatier by adding a handful of cooked shrimp or scallops. Vegetarian oyster sauce can be found at Asian grocery stores. Plate, place mat and napkin from Sur La Table stores. Edamame Stir-Fry Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes Vegetarian 2 tablespoons oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 1/2 cups frozen, shelled edamame 1/2 cup snow peas, stem-ends trimmed and strings removed 2 cups nappa cabbage, cut into 3x2-inch strips 2 tablespoons water or chicken stock 1/4 cup vegetarian oyster sauce or regular oyster sauce 2 tablespoons soy sauce Dash white pepper Cooked white or brown rice, for serving Heat a skillet over high heat and add the oil. Wait until a wisp of white smoke appears, then add the garlic and cook, stirring, until light brown, about 20 seconds. Stir in the edamame, snow peas and cabbage and reduce the heat to medium. Add the water or chicken stock and cook, covered, for 30 seconds. Stir in the oyster sauce and soy sauce, making sure to coat all the vegetables well, and cook for about 30 seconds. Once the vegetables are cooked through but still crisp, 4 to 5 minutes, add the white pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve it with rice. 2 servings. Each serving: 359 calories; 1252 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 9.41 gram fiber. MENU Edamame Stir-Fry Steamed Rice Fresh Fruit and Cookies SHOPPING LIST Cookies Fresh fruit Shelled edamame Snow peas Nappa cabbage STAPLES Chicken stock Garlic Oil Vegetarian oyster sauce or oyster sauce Rice Soy sauce White pepper GAME PLAN 25 minutes before: Start rice. Crush garlic, trim snow peas, cut up cabbage. Remove soybeans from pod if using whole pods. 10 minutes before: Heat oil, start stir-fry. Just before serving: Fluff rice. If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. For information about reprinting this article, go to www.lats.com/rights. -------------------------------------------------------------------------