1. Put the water in a small bowl with the sesame oil, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir with a fork to make a little sauce.
2. Put the vegetable oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot and shimmering, add the edamame and stir until the beans are shiny all over, about 1 minute.
3. Add the sauce to the skillet and adjust the heat so it bubbles a little and gives off some steam. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until the sauce becomes thick and shiny and the beans soften and get hot, about 5 minutes. If the pan gets dry before the beans are ready, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time.
4. Turn off the heat, taste, add a little salt if you like, and stir. (If you’re adding any extras from the list that follows, stir them in now too.) Eat the beans hot or warm or refrigerate them for later to eat cold. (They’ll keep in an airtight container for several days.) You could also serve them with white rice or simply cooked noodles.

4 Extras to Add to Shiny Edamame
In or out of the shell, add any or all of these just before your last couple stirs:

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 chopped scallion
• Red chile flakes or chopped fresh red chile to taste
• A squeeze of lemon juice

Did You Know …
Any bean works great stir-fried. As long as they’re not too mushy and you don’t stir them too much, they’ll turn out fine. Chickpeas and frozen lima beans are the firmest. Black beans are a close second.

– Recipe from How to Cook Everything Kids