Edamame & Cherry Tomato Salad

Photo by:

Melati Citrawireja

Excerpted from The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook. These are just a few of the deeply personal recipes that tell the story of our farm partners, their kitchens, and the spices they grow. Order your copy here!

Soybeans are such a deeply important ingredient across Manipur’s many regional and tribal food cultures, they’re most commonly fermented into a condiment similar to Japanese natto that is nutty, pungent, and a great source of year-round umami and good microbes.

Zeino, our dear friend and sourcing partner for Manipuri wild foraged and indigenous spices has fond memories of drinking her mom’s homemade roasted soybean milk as a kid (YUM!), and came up with a soybean tomato salad as an easy way to add more protein to her diet that this recipe was the original inspiration for. We chose to sub in edamame and watercress in place of soybeans and pennywort, just in the name of what’s more easily available in the US — and, so you’re not having to spend time soaking and cooking dried soybeans.

The resulting salad is so fresh and bright, and pairs very well with the spicy, rich Manipuri pork Hoksa.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
1¾ cups (283 grams) frozen shelled edamame
Juice of ½ lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons fish sauce
½ to 1 teaspoon Sirarakhong Hathei Chilli
½ small red onion, thinly sliced (about 3 ounces, 85 grams)
12 to 15 cherry tomatoes, halved (about ⅓ pound, 151 grams)
3 cups (66 grams) watercress, torn into big, bite-sized pieces, lightly packed
½ cup (8 grams) mint leaves, lightly packed

Methods

To prepare the edamame, bring 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon fine sea salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil 1¾ cups frozen shelled edamame until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, then set aside.
While the water is boiling, macerate the onions. In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, fish sauce, ½ to 1 teaspoon Sirarakhong Hathei chili powder, depending on your desired heat level, and the remaining ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt. Add the red onion and let sit until softened and slumpy, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the blanched edamame and 12 to 15 halved cherry tomatoes to the bowl and toss to combine. Add 3 cups watercress and tear ½ cup mint leaves into the salad. Gently toss everything together. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
To serve, transfer the salad to a shallow serving bowl or platter. Serve immediately.