Let's Learn: Steaming
This week our technique is… steaming! It is easy to think that steaming is a bit boring, but it is such a diverse technique, and an amazing way to make healthier lifestyle choices.
Steaming is popular in many countries, in the UK we might use steaming to make healthier dishes. Many weight-loss foodie blogs advocate swapping out roasted or fried ingredients for their steamed counterparts and this is a tried and tested method to make yummy healthy dishes. By steaming your ingredients, especially vegetables the amount of nutrients retained during the cooking process is at its maximum.
Did you also know that there is a whole other array of uses for steaming in the kitchen? In many Asian countries what is a UK kitchen staple, the built-in oven, isn’t as common. This means that many dishes we would expect to bake in the UK, such as cakes and breads, are often steamed instead. Food such as Dim sum and Bao buns are steamed, making light fluffy buns which are soft and full of flavour. Delicious!
Do you steam veggies for your meals and have the perfect technique to keep them full of flavour and nutrients? Maybe you’re a big fan of steamed fish and have a technique for steaming it in parchment paper. Perhaps you have never attempted it but have always wanted to steam a yummy, fluffy pandan cake, or maybe you are confident at making steamed cakes and want to share your favourite recipe.This is the week to share your favourite steamed recipe and possibly learn something new along the way!
Tips and Tricks
-Take your veggies out when they are a little bit undercooked. Taking them out a little bit earlier will avoid flavourless, floppy vegetables.
-If you are steaming veg, cut them into roughly the same size pieces so they all cook at the same time to make sure none are overcooked.
-Boil your water before adding your recipe to steam. When you see the water bubbling and the first steam start to emerge you are ready to add your ingredients.
-You can add flavour to the steam to make your meal more exciting! Experiment by adding spices or stock to your boiling water and see what effect it has on your meal.
-En Papillote is a French technique of steaming in parchment paper and popular to make the most delicious, delicate fish recipes. Cut a heart shape out of the paper with a fold in the middle, add the ingredients (fresh herbs and butter work really well) and fold the paper over, tucking in the edges. You can bake or steam the parcel to cook it.
-For steamed cakes and buns make sure you line your steamer first so they don’t stick. There’s nothing more frustrating than stuck food!
Sounds delicious! Take a look at these great steamed recipes from our Cookpad Community.
Bamboo Steamed Veggies by Nourish
Vicky's Steamed Syrup and Toffee Pudding
Steamed Buns by Pinkblankets Tiny Kitchen
Chef Anton's Sea Bass En Papillote