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Steam Vegetables
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Step 1:
Select and prepare the vegetables
The first rule of successful cooking is to start with good-quality ingredients. The fresher the produce, the better the final dish. This is especially true of steaming; it's a method that really brings out a vegetable's fullest flavor.
Virtually any vegetable can be steamed. Here's a list, just in case you've forgotten any of these: spinach, summer squash such as sunburst or zucchini, broccoli, bok choy, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, asparagus, kale, collard greens, mushrooms, onions, beets, turnips, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Bean sprouts are not actually vegetables, but they're a great addition. Mung bean sprouts are the most common choice.
Preparation:
Very fresh vegetables (say, from a farmer's market) are great when steamed whole: string beans, small summer squash, and small potatoes (red or yellow). And here's a great way to prepare whole spinach and bok choy leaves, or even small cabbage leaves: roll them up from stem to tip, place them on their sides, and steam them in that position.
Other vegetables require slicing or dicing in order to have them cook in a reasonable length of time: beets, yams, potatoes (large ones), and brussel sprouts as examples. Chop all of the vegetables beforehand, and (ideally) have different types of vegetables on a separate plate or in small bowl--this makes them easier to work with. If you're working with a dull kitchen knife, you're making the preparation more difficult and dangerous than it need be. To fix this situation, see 2torial #0685 Sharpen a Knife. If you don't have a decent knife to begin with, consider investing in a new one--but not without consulting 2torial #0505 Choose a Kitchen Knife.
Combinations: Sometimes one vegetable is appropriate for a meal; other meals call out for a variety of vegetables steamed together. Try out these combinations, but be sure to add them in the order that they're presented: some vegetables of a combination require longer cooking times, and hence need to be added first. - Squash cut into rounds / shittake mushrooms (fresh,or pre-soaked if dried) / whole or chopped spinach.
- Carrots cut diagonally / fresh peas.
- Shredded cabbage / grated carrots / mung bean sprouts.
- Onions and summer squash, diced / spinach (or bok choy, or chard) cut into one-inch squares.
- Turnips, diced / sweet potatoes, cut into half moons / fresh parsely, finely chopped
- Broccoli and cauliflower.
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