What is the difference between Mukimame and Edamame?

In this brief article, we will answer the question, “What is the difference between Mukimame and Edamame?” and provide information on what exactly is Mukimame and Edamame, which one is more useful to be used as well as recipes for both Mukimame and Edamame.

What is the difference between Mukimame and Edamame?

The main difference between Mukimame and Edamame is that Edamame consists of bean pods with shells whereas Mukimame is beans without shells. However, more than differences there are similarities between Mukimame and Edamame.

What exactly is Edamame?

Edamame is a popular vegetable that is cultivated in Asia specifically in Japan. Edamame grows to be a soybean plant that can be dark green in color. 

Edamame can be very popularly used in Japanese foods. It can be either steamed or boiled and consumed in the form of snacks or appetizers.

Edamame can be found inside the pods and you cannot remove them using your hands as they can quickly jump out of the pods and fall around you. As a result, it would be better to put them in your mouth and then remove them.

What exactly is Mukimame?

Mukimame and Edamame are both the same plant but Edamame is shelled, unlike Mukimame. There is no difference between them except for this one thing. For instance, the amount of difference between shelled and unshelled peas is that between Mukimame and Edamame. 

There are different terminologies used for them because “Eda” of edamame means stem and “Game” means beans. So Edamame refers to stem beans (stems attached to a pod). 

On the other hand, “Muki” of Mukimame refers to exposed and “Mame” means beans. So Mukimame beans exposed beans.

Which can be more useful among Mukimame and Edamame?

People might find Mukimame to be more beneficial as it can take time to remove the shells of these beans.

Sometimes, they are sold in a precooked form which can further reduce the cooking time. You just need to add them to boiled water and it will simply take 5 minutes to cook them.

Once this has been done, you can drain the beans of water and add salt to the beans to season them.

However, in Japanese countries, Edamame is still preferred over Mukimame as it can be used in the form of a garnish.

The Edamame pods can be slightly salted and have a firm texture. It can have an amazing mouthfeel.

However, Mukimame is easier to eat as they are already out of their shells. It is better to eat them compared to Edamame.

How to prepare an Edamame recipe?

Preheat the oven to a temperature of 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a big bowl, add 2 tbsp of virgin olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, salt, and ½ tsp black pepper.

If you are using frozen pods, it is better to thaw them. Remove excess moisture before you begin to add them to recipes. 

Cook the beans for 10 minutes on one side. Flip them over and cook the other side for 10 minutes too. Once the pods are brown in color, you can add a bit of salt to them and serve.

What is the recipe for Mukimame?

Add 10 ounces of Mukimame, ¼ cup of chopped onions, ½ cup of cilantro, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp of chili powder, and ¼ tsp of black pepper to a food processor. Apart from this, add 1 tbsp of brown miso and kosher salt as well.

Blenderize the ingredients for a period of 15 seconds. After 15 seconds, slowly add 5 tbsp of olive oil and blenderize them again.

Once that has been done, transfer the mixture to an airtight container. Keep them in the fridge and keep them for 3-4 days in the fridge.

How to store Mukimame or Edamame?

If the beans have not been cooked, you can keep them in a sealed container for 3-4 days. If you have cooked them, consume them within 2-3 days.

You can freeze them too if you wish to not consume them for a long period of time. Both of them can be frozen for a period of 2-3 months. Store them in a freezer bag before keeping them in the freezer.

You can also quickly thaw the beans in a microwave. However, do this at a low power setting so that the beans do not get overcooked.

Can you substitute Mukimame for Edamame?

Yes, Mukimame can be substituted for Edamame. The texture of Mukimame can be different from Edamame but the flavor is more or less similar.

Conclusion

In this brief article, we have answered the question, “What is the difference between Mukimame and Edamame?” and provided information on what exactly is Mukimame and Edamame, which one is more useful to be used as well as recipes for both Mukimame and Edamame.

Reference