Fiery Pea and Edamame Dip Recipe – Good Mood Food

In 400 BC, Hippocrates chose a streamside location for his first hospital, so that he could use fresh watercress to treat his patients. A key ingredient in this recipe, watercress contains, gram for gram, more calcium than milk and more vitamin C than oranges. In spite of this, many of us rarely consume it. It also contains folate, which promotes blood cell formation and the proper functioning of the liver and the nervous system – the list of its virtues goes on. You can adjust the amount of yoghurt and chilli to taste. Alice loves it with extra lemon juice and some zest.

Image by Laura Edwards

– Serves 4 –

200g frozen edamame beans
150g fresh or frozen peas
1⁄2 teaspoon wasabi or 1 teaspoon horseradish sauce
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful of watercress
Large handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 heaped tablespoons yoghurt 1⁄2 tablespoon olive oil

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and simmer the edamame beans for 2 minutes before adding the peas and cooking for a further minute (if using fresh peas, you'll need to cook them for around 8 minutes first).

2. Remove the pan from the heat, drain the vegetables and immerse them in cold water.

3. Blitz them in a food processor with the remaining ingredients.

4. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and the dip is ready to serve.

Recipe from my book The Happy Kitchen: Good Mood Food

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