E is for Edamame Dumplings (Jennifer)

Dear Edamame Eaters,

If you're not an edamame eater yet, you should be. Why? you ask? Well, because. Edamame, both eating it and saying it, makes you smile. How can you not smile when saying "E-da-ma-me?" It's just fun! Which leads me to this recipe, which is just plain fun to make.

I often crave dumplings or really anything wrapped in a sweet lil' wonton wrapper. Perhaps it was my trip to Shanghai this past spring (a similar kind of trip to the one Jessica is on now!) that makes me crave dumplings, wontons or anything resembling a steamed bun. They are just. that. good. Yum! So, I jumped at the chance to try this recipe from Cooking Light's Way to Cook Vegetarian cookbook. Though it took me three visits to three different grocery stores (yay, Vons!) to finally get my hands on those wonton wrappers, this recipe is a keeper in my book.

Cooking Light
Way to Cook Vegetarian



Edamame Dumplings
Makes a whole lotta dumplings...maybe 20-25?

Sauce:
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey

Dumplings:
1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)--I used fresh and it worked great
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
20 wonton wrappers
2 tsp cornstarch--this is just to keep the wrappers from sticking. I didn't have any cornstarch and my wrappers were just fine without it. You could use some flour if you have any trouble with sticking.
1/2 cup water, divided

1. To prepare sauce, combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

2. To prepare dumplings, cook edamame (if frozen) according to package directions. Combine edamame with next 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.

3. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time, spoon about 1 tsp edamame mixture onto center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water; fold opposite corners to form a triangle, pinching points to seal. Place dumplings on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch (or flour).

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange half of dumplings in a single layer in pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook 1 minute or until bottoms begin to brown; turn. Add 1/4 cup water to pan; cover. Cook 1 minute or until water evaporates. Repeat procedure with remaining dumplings and water. Serve immediately with sauce.

This is my lazy way of "covering" when I don't want to find the correct cover for the skillet--it works though!

Review: These are wonderful, especially served hot off the pan. Yum! Here's a variation I did of the sauce because I realized once I got home that I did not have soy sauce: blend chopped green onions with some honey BBQ sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and a bit of the toasted sesame oil. Keep adding more or less of various ingredients until you've reached perfection with your combination of sweet, savory deliciousness! So good and far better (in my opinion) than soy sauce. : )

Bonus Picture: My sweet puppy, Lyla, was sleeping in the corner of the kitchen the entire time I was making these. Guess she doesn't find edamame all too exciting?? : )

Enjoy the Edamame!
Jennifer