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nothing to get angry about

Recipe: angry edamame

Indian summer is here. Of course it is! It always arrives when I have a chocolate shoot to finish. I think I’m done foraging for huckleberries (are we ever REALLY done, though?) and instead I’ve been gathering breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to tide Jeremy over the next 3 weeks while I’m on the fall shoot. It is time. The colors are starting and I’m getting that itch to hit the road.


blue blue colorado skies and dynamic clouds

my local indicator aspen stand



Since I have yet to pack my gear in addition to the 114 other things on my to-do list (let’s call it a to-do novella), I’m just gonna dive into the recipe and its backstory. My friend, Kathryn, was visiting us from Norway last month when we got on the topic of food. Actually, we never stopped talking about food – this is why we are friends. She had an obsession with Kona Grill’s angry edamame. More specifically, she had an obsession with the angry butter. I’ve never eaten at Kona Grill, nor have I ever had angry edamame, but it sounded good. It’s really all about the angry butter. So I did a quick Google search and found a list of ingredients as a handrail.

edamame, butter, lime, kosher salt, sambal, garlic, red chile powder, cayenne powder



In essence, we are making a spicy, tangy, garlicky butter. How could this possibly be bad? I guess it’s bad that this is so darn easy and quick to slap together that you’ll want to slather it on corn, pan-seared scallops, roasted chicken, grilled asparagus, roasted Brussels sprouts… EVERYTHING.

add the sambal, chile powder, cayenne powder, and salt to the butter

grate the garlic

add lime juice to taste



Make the angry butter first, because you want to add it to the edamame when it is steaming hot. This way, the heat will help the butter get all melty and slide-y so that it coats the pods. The recipe yields about three-quarters of a cup of angry butter and I wound up with a pool of orange angry butter at the bottom of the bowl. You may not want to use all of it on a package of edamame – maybe save some for later.

stirring all the angry goodness together

steaming hot edamame pods

toss with angry butter



If you enjoy some zing in your life (or your mouth) and aren’t afraid of butter (of course you aren’t, you’re reading THIS blog), try this. It’s got a nice punch to it without being overbearing. I like mine on the tangy side, so I added four teaspoons of lime juice which plays so well with the garlic and chiles. And contrary to the name, I’m pretty sure this angry edamame will make you quite happy. I’m waiting for Kathryn to get home from vacation to tell me if this comes close to what she had at Kona Grill.

serve with a wedge of lime

i think it should be called happy edamame



Angry Edamame
[print recipe]
based on the Kona Grill’s Angry Edamame

3 cups edamame (soybeans) in shells

angry butter
4 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
4 cloves garlic, grated
4 tbsps sambal
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp red chile powder (medium heat)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3-4 tsps lime juice, fresh squeezed to taste

Make the angry butter: Mix the butter, garlic, sambal, salt, chile powder, cayenne powder, and lime juice together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Make angry edamame: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the edamame to the boiling water. Let return to boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the edamame and place them in a large bowl. Toss the edamame with angry butter while the beans are hot. Serve hot.


more goodness from the use real butter archives

stir-fried pork and soybeans stir-fried soybean sprouts savory chinese soybean milk soup agedashi tofu

19 nibbles at “nothing to get angry about”

  1. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says:

    This edamame sounds lovely! That spicy sauce is calling my name!

  2. Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says:

    I’d love a bowl of these with an ice cold beer! Yummy.

  3. Kristen says:

    That cloud photo is a dream. It’s like artwork the way you framed it, and I could see it blown up and displayed as a main focal point in a bedroom. I love it!

  4. Christina @ but i'm hungry says:

    I have a few branches of fresh edamame in the fridge that’s been waiting for something really special. This is it! Thank you!

  5. Lisa says:

    This is my type of spicy food. I definitely will try it soon as I get to the market. It’d be a lovely afternoon snack.

  6. jentrified says:

    i’m going to get so angry later.

  7. jill says:

    TPH would absolutely love this. Will have to try next time. I tend to love mine just salted. Plain girl that I am.

    Now this first photo…..WOWZA

    Enjoy your time of year. j

  8. Heather says:

    O.M.G.

  9. Currently Crushing On. | How Sweet It Is says:

    […] angry edamame. best […]

  10. danielle says:

    This would make me happy.

  11. Ami@NaiveCookCooks says:

    I love love eating steamed edamames and this just sounds so darn good!!

  12. For Your Weekend: Link Love « says:

    […] may just be picking up edamame when I go this afternoon to pick up diapers and wipes. Β I think this might be a good dinner when […]

  13. ATasteOfMadness says:

    This sounds like the perfect snack. I love edamame!

  14. jenyu says:

    Katrina – it’s a nice twist on something I never thought to change!

    Brandon – :)

    Kristen – thank you!

    Christina – I hope you liked the recipe!

    Lisa – or a great appetizer.

    jentrified – ;)

    jill – oooh, it might be worth just a little dip? :)

    Heather – ha ha!

    danielle – angry, happy, it’s all good, right?

    Ami – it’s a nice change of pace from a standard!

    ATasteOfMadness – me too, and it’s great (although heavier than regular steamed edamame).

  15. Foodie Favorites - September 24, 2014 | My Bacon-Wrapped Life says:

    […] all about this spicy edamame. The sushi place down the street from us has the exact same thing on the menu, and we get it every […]

  16. molly c says:

    konas’ has togarashi, sriacha, & lemon rather than lime =)

  17. jenyu says:

    molly – not according to their corporate flashcards.

  18. Rachel P says:

    Made this just now! Found this recipe via Pinterest, although similar to Kona Grill, it does lack the same flavor. However, it is still very good and for a quick dressing on my edamame it is perfect! Next time I’ll cut down on the amount of butter and up the sambal.

  19. Angry Edamame – The Pintest says:

    […] a late night of studying. I searched Pinterest for angry edamame and to my surprise, I found a copycat recipe! I pinned it to my board for quick reference and added the ingredients to my shopping […]

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