One of the easiest and simplest ways to cook fresh and healthy or even frozen vegetables is to steam them over boiling water. Steamed vegetables are irrefutably vigorous, visually alluring, and delicious.
But maybe you want them to be even more delightful. Adding flavor to your favorite steamed vegetables can be super easy if you know which ingredients to use and when to add them.
But how do you season steamed vegetables? Don’t worry if you are trying to learn the basics because thecookingbar.com has years of experience bringing the best food ideas to satisfy your taste buds.
If you are on a diet or just trying to eat healthily and follow your calorie chart, steamed vegetables are one of the best options for you.
We all know that by steaming vegetables, we can preserve the nutritious value of the vegetables, and this method is light, quick, and it retains the flavor of your favorite veggies.
Take great care not to overcook them as this may spoil the taste. Seasoned vegetables often taste wonderful if they are perfectly steamed.
However, if you find your favorite steamed vegetables too unadorned, would like to infuse them with extra vitality or don’t want to smother them in butter, you are at the perfect place because we have brought to you some amazing ways to add flavor to your steamed vegetables making them perfectly tasty.
1. Herbs Can Do the Magic
Humans have been using herbs for ages to get energy and taste. If you are a steamed vegetable lover, you can use herbs in many different ways to add flavor to this healthy meal.
You can choose between Basil, sage, thyme, and rosemary according to your flavor needs.
The only thing you need to keep in mind before adding these herbs into your steamed veggies is that only add them at the end of the cooking process.
Just when your vegetables are almost ready, you can add whole sprigs of fresh herbs to gratify your mode and taste. If you add them too early, they might lose their flavor and effectiveness.
Chop some of the Basil, thyme, or rosemary to garnish your amazing flavored steamed vegetables with herbs.
2. A Drizzle of Olive Oil Can Do Wonders
Olive oil is a type of fat that absorbs the taste of every food around it and then transferring its rich taste into them.
You need to sprinkle a little olive oil on the steamed vegetables and enjoy the amazing flavor of your loved veggies. This will help you taste the enriched taste of veggies with heart-healthy features of olive oil as it is blessed with low cholesterol.
Olive oil is known for its numerous health benefits including boosting the immune system, which is particularly important during health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Pepper and Salt: A Taste Changer
If you want to observe the real change in your steamed veggies, you don’t need lots of ingredients as pepper and salt are always available in most of the kitchen inventories. The remarkable flavor or pepper and unbelievable taste of salt can make you fall in love with your veggies.
You can add the pepper anytime, but you need to add the salt at the beginning of the cooking process as the taste will not remain the same if you add salt at the end.
You won’t believe how amazing the change would be as no recipe in the world is going to be complete without involving these two ingredients. Modern research has shown that salt is very useful to cook food chemically as it breaks down the molecules of your food.
The only thing you need to keep in mind is that the quantity has to be very precise as the excess of anything is bad.
Moreover, you need to consult your doctor if you already have symptoms of high blood pressure or hypertension. Anyhow you can use the pepper according to your taste.
You can use both of them at a time to increase the flavor even more. Pepper, salt, and steamed vegetables would be a perfect flavored triangle. Don’t believe it? Try it now and thanks us later.
4. Lemon and Orange: Get It Fresh
Lemon is famous for its citrus qualities, and lemon juice can produce phenomenal results if you use it on steamed vegetables.
You don’t need to put it in colander or steamer basket when the veggies are being steamed, as this will not be effective.
You just need to marinate your vegetables before putting them into steamer as it will give you a refreshing and tasty effect. Orange and lemon have almost the same qualities and vitamins, but their tastes are somehow different.
If you don’t feel comfortable with lemon, try orange. This might change your previous thoughts about steamed veggies flavors.
5. Vinegar: The Ancient Flavor Secret
The fermentation of vinegar used with different food products like steamed vegetables has given it a new life.
It will provide a unique flavor profile, and its health benefits combined with your beloved steamed vegetables may increase your appreciation for vinegar.
One or two tablespoons of vinegar can bring some amazing flavor to your veggies, so don’t overuse it.
You can add vinegar when you cut the vegetables to marinate them, or you can also use it after they are steamed.
Try to avoid pouring it in the colander as the flavor may not be the same as you like. You can experiment with different kinds of vinegar, like distilled white vinegar, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, mart vinegar, sherry vinegar, and many more of your likings.
Steaming your favorite vegetables with vinegar can be a versatile experience.
Most of the time, it is used to balance out the fats and cut the heaviness. If you are looking to control blood sugar spikes, steamed vegetables with vinegar can help you increase good HDL cholesterol levels making it easier to lose weight.
Vinegar, with its gluten-free soy-free qualities, will make your diet plans work perfectly.
6. Garlic: Natural and Delightful
Garlic reliably adds delightful aroma and flavor to your steamed vegetables because of its health benefits and presence of allicin.
You can add garlic to almost anything, but when you are looking to use it with vegetables, you must choose fresh over bottled.
To maximize the flavor, cut the garlic cloves and leave them for 10 to 15 minutes before adding to your vegetables. This helps to activate the enzymes that react with oxygen.
Leaving the chopped garlic for 10 to 15 minutes helps it fully develop the compounds like allicin. This will not only add wonderful aroma to your recipes but also satisfy your taste buds, making it a pleasure to eat.
The derived flavor of your steamed vegetables with garlic can give you a pleasant surprise.
7. Soy Sauce: The Ultimate Flavor Destination
The well balanced, smooth, and rich flavor of soy sauce goes beyond its saltiness and blends with your steamed vegetables to provide you an amazing flavor.
If you want to see the magic, just blend the soy sauce with garlic oil. Soy sauce and garlic oil blend so well that you will forget the raw flavor of vegetables and of the condiments.
The most amazing thing about this method is that you can try it with all types of vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and cauliflower.
They are all very different, but you can enjoy the tasty flavor with all of them. So just stop getting bored with steamed vegetables and use soya sauce to make them delicious, appetizing, and healthy. Don’t add too much salt when you are using soy sauce.
We hope that these amazing ingredients will help you enjoy the real natural flavors of your loved steamed vegetables.
FAQ
How to Add Flavor to Steamed Vegetables?
Flavor steamed vegetables by adding herbs like basil or rosemary towards the end of cooking, drizzling olive oil, sprinkling salt and pepper, or infusing citrus from lemons or oranges. Other options include a splash of vinegar or the addition of garlic or soy sauce. Customize these according to your taste preferences.
