Steaming is one of the best and healthiest modes of cooking, specially, if your aim is towards a healthy lifestyle and weight management. Steamed vegetables are extremely healthy to eat as steaming retains the color, texture and nutritional content of the vegetables.
Apart from being healthy, steaming is one of the easiest and fastest ways of cooking food. The vegetables are cooked in a moist heat, that helps retain their crispness and freshness unlike boiling where the vegetables turn watery and limp.
There are plenty of ways to steam vegetables depending on the time required and need of the recipe. A lot of good steamers and steam baskets are available today to make the process easy and convenient for us.
However the steaming process may differ for each vegetable. Some require lesser time to cook whereas some may take longer minutes to get tender and soft. Here are some easy ways to make steamed vegetables for your everyday meal.
Difficulty Level
Easy
Instructions
Steaming on Stove: This is the traditional and the oldest method of steaming vegetables. It can be done either in a steamer pot or a steam colander. Place the pot on the flame and fill with one third of water below the sieve. Wash the vegetables and keep in the steamer to let the water boil. Once the water gets boiled add the vegetables and place the cover on top. The water should not touch the vegetables. Let the vegetables cook in the steam for at least 15 minutes. Cooking time depends on the hardness and softness of the vegetables. Take out once you feel the vegetables are tender and let them cool down.
Steaming in Microwave: This method of steaming is relatively simple and easy to perform. Put the vegetables in a microwave safe bowl and add little water to the bowl. Cover the bowl with a wrap and let it cook for a few minutes. After switching off the microwave, let it stand for a minute and then take the bowl out.
Steaming Duration: The most important part of vegetable is how long you should steam your green as well as colored vegetables. It completely depends on the taste, preference, type of vegetables and the demand of the recipe that decides the steaming process. If you like the vegetables crisp and fresh, cook it for a few minutes and not longer. Leafy green vegetables do not take more than a minute to get cooked. Over blanching, may spoil the color and taste. Whereas, vegetables like carrots and beans may take longer than 20 minutes to get completely cooked.
Seasoning and serving ideas: Completely steamed and blanched vegetables might not taste too good or appear tempting to most of us. It becomes important therefore to enhance their taste with some salt and seasonings and serve them in a more appealing way. After steaming your vegetables you can drizzle them with olive oil and finally add some salt and pepper. You can also add some shredded cheese, oregano and other herbs for that extra exotic flavor.
Photo Credit: Foodnetwork.com
How To Steam Vegetables
Steaming is one of the best and healthiest modes of cooking, specially, if your aim is towards a healthy lifestyle and weight management. Steamed vegetables ar
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