Phew! I have finally managed to regain my bearings after a particularly tumultuous couple of months. I’m settled into my new job and my new apartment, which, by the way, abounds with delicious, creative food that I’m completely abashed not to have posted here. 

An important fixture in my new routine are evenings spent with Adam, my roommate, glued to a particular television drama, set in the 1960s. Oh sure, the show’s been all the rage for years. Just call us late to jump on the bandwagon (though we prefer “reverse trendsetters”), but we’re suddenly smitten with cocktails, especially martinis, and anything that tastes good with cocktails, preferably something that can be easily eaten from our respective corners of the couch as we ravenously consume another episode of our new favorite program. 

Adam’s hummus is a delicious, habanero-heavy recipe that I like too much to try to improve upon (as though that’s possible). This Asian take on hummus is my counter offer.

I will caution you that you must love sesame to love this dip. Ever wonder why edamame is usually so heavily salted? While the edamame lends a beautiful color to this recipe, it doesn’t really have much flavor of its own, and the sesame definitely takes the spotlight. If you love sesame oil like I do, I recommend using a darker, richer sesame oil. 

I made three different batches of edamame dip before I was satisfied and annoyingly made Adam pause our show as I hopped up to grab another half a lemon, and fretted about existential quandaries like “Salt or soy sauce?” In the end, I’m giving you the recipe I was most happy with, but I think improvements could still be made and I welcome your suggestions!

Sesame Edamame Dip

• 1 16-ounce bag frozen, shelled edamame
• 1/2 cup sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons wasabi
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt to taste
• sesame seeds for garnish

In a food processor, combine edamame, sesame oil, wasabi, lemon juice, water and garlic. Blend 7-12 minutes, or until consistency is smooth. Add salt to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon) Serve with pita or raw vegetables and garnish with sesame seeds.