Asian Fusion Meal

I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting a good friend's mother last week. They came over for dinner, and we ate a healthy Asian fusion meal over great conversation. For example, I learned that my friend was part of a plot (involving the destruction of school property) to eliminate the line-dancing portion of her grade-school gym class. Tsk, tsk, and I always assumed she had been such a good girl.

The food was very easy to prepare, and the menu included:
Gingered Shiitake and Watercress Soup
Garlic and Chili-Roasted Edamame
Sesame-Crusted Seared Tuna with a sesame/soy dipping sauce
Seaweed Salad (store-bought)
Gelato from Naia for dessert

If anyone is interested in the recipes, let me know. For now, I'll include the edamame recipe because it's one of my favorites! This recipe was inspired by Betelnut's green bean appetizer and is a great snack or addition to an Asian-inspired meal or delivery sushi.

Garlic and Chili-Roasted Edamame

• 1 package of frozen whole edamame (still in the pod, not shelled. I usually find it at Trader Joe's)
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1 T toasted sesame oil, can subistute with vegetable oil but the sesame oil adds great flavor
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 T dried basil
• dried red chili flakes to taste (more chili = spicier)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
1. Combine all the ingredients in an oven-safe dish, such as a pyrex dish or a roasting pan. Toss to coat all the edamame with oil or soy sauce. They will burn if there's not enough liquid on them. 2. Cook them in the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and adding more oil or soy sauce if the pan is getting too dry. Test them after 10 minutes to see if they're cooked to your liking and add time accordingly.
3. There should be almost a glaze of soy sauce and oil over the pods. The beans should be slightly toothy, but not crunchy. Make sure they don't overcook, or they will get mushy.