Mamma Li's Edamame Beans
"I watch the YouTube and I couldn't eat anymore" - Mom
...Mom tells me in exasperation as I call her after my two-week vacation in Chile, half of which was spent trekking through the mountains of Patagonia alone. While away, she did a Google on the region and saw that there were videos and watched them. Big mistake. That's where she learned about the hurricane-force winds, the torrential downpours, and the overall difficulty of the hike—and with no ability to contact me, she started panicking. All the bad thoughts ran through her head. She pretty much convinced herself that I was dead at the end of each day, until I messaged Sis via Facebook (which weirdly is the only thing that works down there) that I had made it. She probably cares too much, if that's possible...though I guess she did spend her whole adult life making sacrifices to ensure her children were happy, healthy, functioning adults.
And sometimes her children forget about those sacrifices. So, for Mother's Day, I'm going to list them out as opposed to a blanket "thanks for all the sacrifices Mom, wouldn't be here without you" shoutout because that pretty much describes all Moms. Every Mom makes different sacrifices and I think acknowledging that paints a more authentic picture of motherhood and creates genuine gratitude.
Without further ado:
- Immigrated to a new country, where she didn't know the language, leaving her family and friends behind, to marry a man she had never met in person, so that when she did have kids, they would have every opportunity that communist China could never provide
- Worked tough manual labor jobs while pregnant and going to night classes to learn English so that she could get re-certified as an accountant, a degree she already earned in China
- Not being able to afford childcare, she sent me off to be raised by her sister and mother in California while she finished up her degrees. Giving up a child, even if temporarily, is never easy, but she was playing the long game. Without the degrees, she would be stuck in low income, manual labor work
- Gave up a bank job when I was in preschool because they were moving locations, meaning it would be too far from home and she wouldn't have the time to spend with me and Sis
- Found an office job that was still beneath her, but gave her the flexibility to be a mom; to make dinner, to wake us up, to shuffle us around our extracurricular activities, to buy presents for our teacher on Teacher Appreciation Day, etc.
- Never bought anything nice for herself and instead saved the money so that we could go on fun family vacations every summer, because she believed that traveling would add more value to our lives than any pair of shoes for herself could
- Signed me up for club soccer, where she had to hang out with the other soccer moms, which was difficult for her because she's not fluent in the language or the culture. She was often the only person of color during these meetings.
- Worked a full-time job to help pay the bills while also making time to cook awesome meals every single night, because she believed in the positive power of family dinners, not to mention a home-cooked meal that would never let me forget where I came from. Not every meal was a huge affair, and there were times when she would simply toss things together and hope for the best, but somehow those became some of my favorites, like her edamame beans with ground beef—there were never leftovers. It's a simple recipe, but the very basic flavors when mixed together create an umami sensation.
Despite Mom's biggest weakness, which is her fear of the world and everything in it, she was able to face each challenge head on because she was playing the long game. She knew what she had to do for Sis and me to grow up to be the best versions of ourselves, even before we were born. She told me that she was proud of me for hiking Patagonia solo and she didn't know where I got that bravery from, but I think she forgot her own bravery when she first stepped on that plane to meet Dad and start her new life.
Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 15 mins
INGREDIENTS (FOR 2)
| 1/3 lb ground beef |
| 2 tsp corn starch |
| 1 tbsp red wine |
| 1/2 tbsp soy sauce |
| 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce |
| 1 garlic clove, minced |
| 1 1/2 cup edamame beans* |
| 1/4 cup hot bean sauce** |
| + oil for pan |
* I use frozen, and so does Mom, but it doesn't make a difference
**Sometimes it's called chili bean sauce and in Chinese it's toban djan
PREPARE
1. Fold corn starch, red wine, soy sauce, and oyster sauce into the ground beef. Set aside for a minimum of 20 minutes, but the longer you let it marinate the better—like when you're making a burger.
COOK
1. Toss some oil into a frying pan and add the garlic over medium heat.
2. Once the garlic starts sizzling, add in the edamame beans and stir around the pan, so that it's coated in the oil. Do this for about 3-5 minutes, or until the beans are soften.
3. Mix in the hot bean sauce, reserving about a tablespoon for later.
4. Add in the ground beef, using a wooden spoon to break apart the beef.
5. Once the beef is broken up, add the rest of the hot bean sauce and give the pan a few good toss so that everything mixes really well together.
EAT
Serve Mamma Li's edamame beans over rice and, if so desired, any other stir fry veggies on the side because there's no such thing as too many vegetables. Once you've tried this recipe, I guarantee you'll add it to your weeknight rotation.
