It is believed that steamed vegetables are much healthier and contain more vitamins than fried or boiled vegetables. When fried, foods accumulate many harmful substances and lose their beneficial properties, and vitamins disappear during cooking. If you lead a healthy lifestyle and prefer healthy foods, then the steamed vegetable stew recipe will come in handy.
Steamed vegetables in a saucepan
Oddly enough, the method of cooking steamed dishes was presented to the world by the Chinese. This is now a feature of Asian cuisine is the frying of products, and just a few centuries ago, China did not know any oils or marinades. cooked by the Chinese in large pans with a rounded bottom. Bamboo grates were placed in a frying pan in several tiers, and vegetables and fish were laid on them. There was water at the bottom of the pan; it evaporated and cooked food.
In fact, the principle of the modern double boiler has not changed. However, in order to eat tasty and healthy, it is not necessary to purchase an expensive device. You can be smart and make a steamer from available tools.
DIY steamer
There are several different ways to steam food. The simplest and most correct: pour water into a saucepan, put a colander or a metal sieve on top, lay out the ingredients, be sure to close the lid tightly and wrap it with a towel to preserve the precious heat. When the water in the pot boils, the steam will heat the food up and cook it until tender.
The second way is to put a suitable grate in a large pot of water, so that it is above the level of the poured water. Put a dish with vegetables on the wire rack, close the pan tightly with a lid and wait for cooking.
An ordinary steamer has become the prototype of modern combi ovens – multifunctional ovens, where the speed of cooking is still achieved thanks to the circulation of hot steam.
A more complicated way: attach a thin cotton cloth around the edge of the pan, you can use gauze. Pour boiling water through the cloth, but so that the poured water does not reach the cloth, then put the food on the cloth and cover the pan with thick foil.
Perhaps the most famous steamed dish is steamed cutlets. They were readily prepared in Soviet canteens and served to the working people. By the way, the cutlets were often quite tasty, which once again proves that healthy does not mean tasteless! An equally tasty and healthy side dish is steamed vegetable stew.
You will need: – zucchini – 400 g,
– carrots – 3 pcs.,
– peeled potatoes – 2 pcs.,
– sweet peppers – 2 pcs.,
– tomatoes – 3 pcs.,
– cucumber – 2 pcs.,
– spices to taste.
First, wash and peel all vegetables well. Cut the zucchini and cucumbers into 0,5 mm slices. Cut sweet peppers and tomatoes into strips correctly, it is convenient and will be beautifully combined in a dish with other vegetables. Cut the potatoes and carrots into cubes.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and season to taste. It is better to abstain from salt and black pepper altogether. It is enough to add dry herbs, coriander, bay leaf or parsley. Place vegetables on a wire rack, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Do not rush to remove the prepared vegetables from the steamer, hold them for another 5–7 minutes. During this time, the water will cool down, the steam will not burn your fingers, and the dish will “reach”.
It has been observed that steamed foods retain their natural flavor and color. The temperature inside them does not rise above 100 ° C, so vitamins and minerals do not break down. At the same time, steam cooking is not as long as on an electric stove, and much easier: all products are evenly heated and do not burn at the same time.