Some people think that products which are ‘just’ steamed are rather boring. Despite the wonderfully intense flavour of the dish, something exciting needs to be done to it. A twist, a turn, its own character.
Time to add to your basic larder ingredients for steaming!
A good oil is the ideal flavour booster to spice up steamed products. There are lots of flavoured oils available, such as sesame, basil, garlic and truffle oil. Drizzle the oil over steamed vegetables or over a piece of meat or fish. But you can also use it before steaming too!
It’s easy to make your own aromatic oil. Infuse a clove of garlic, some lemon peel and a chilli with the oil in a pan. Drizzle this tasty oil over halved jumbo prawns and steam for 12 minutes.
Hard herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano or mint can easily be popped between meat, fish, vegetables and potatoes before they go into the steam oven. Steamed chicken on mint is delicious! Before serving, sprinkle with lemon juice, some nice extra virgin olive oil and season with freshly ground salt and pepper.
A basic and easy ingredient. Pop whole bulbs among the ingredients to be steamed and they will release their flavour.
Roasted garlic is another perfect flavour booster. You can make this very easily by packing a bulb in aluminium foil. Pour over a little olive oil first. Bake the bulb in the oven for 45 minutes (you can do this while something else is cooking) and you have an amazing flavour bomb. At the table, press out each clove of garlic and spread the paste over anything that could do with some garlic.
Use ingredients with a strong flavour where steaming time is not an issue. Add these ingredients to meat, fish or vegetables (or a combination) in a sealed steaming dish. The fish, meat or vegetable determines the steaming time.
Open the larder or fridge for some inspiration. You’ll be amazed what you have in your store cupboard. Olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, lemon wedges, grated orange peel, jalapeño peppers, dried fruit….(make up your own list)
Not to mention all the lovely spreads and marinades from your store cupboard which can give your steamed dish a real boost.
Sprinkle oyster sauce, fish sauce, light soya sauce, chilli sauce or a mix of honey and balsamic vinegar over meat, fish or vegetables immediately after steaming.
Or flavour your meat or fish beforehand using marinades and spreads like mustard, pesto and tapenade.
And what about combining all these flavour boosters? Then the possibilities are endless and your steaming journey has only just begun.