Edamame beans are young soybeans in the form of a pod having a number of health benefits. Generally, they are eaten when they are young and fresh. This is because, at this stage, they have the maximum amount of proteins. The dried edamame beans however, are also used for certain preparations but are generally not preferred.

The baby soybeans are a staple diet in the Asian countries. The preparation of baby soybeans is very popular in countries like Japan, Hawaii, Korea and China. The recipe can be prepared by boiling in water with salt and other condiments. Then it is served whole together with the skin of the beans. It can also be served with black pepper. As it consists of a number of nutrients, it is a very healthy food preparation. When these beans are dried, they are made into the soybeans which we eat.

A 1/2-cup serving of shelled edamame encloses only 100 calories, with 3 g of unsaturated fat and 8 g of protein. It also offers 4 g of fiber. The beans are a good source of copper, calcium, folate, magnesium, iron, manganese, thiamin, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K. Edamame has very little sodium and doesn’t include any cholesterol.

High quality Edamame has a bright green color that denotes a soy plant that is productive and resistant to disease. Individual pods should be full of larger-sized beans showing good flavor and texture. A common rule is that a bag of high quality Edamame should hold 165 to 170 pods in 500g (17.64 oz) of a ready-to-eat product. In general, the smaller the pod counts per bag, the better the quality. This is by reason of the pods containing larger beans and the lack of “single-bean-pods”, which are generally fewer tasty.