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Steam and savour
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Steaming is the best way to cook food, as it preserves 90 per cent of the antioxidants
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Photo: Murali Kumar K.
Tempting tidbits Heavenly and healthy too
Steaming, according to research, is the best method of cooking. However, it is the least employed in India. Idli, modak and some dal dishes are about all that we steam. The Chinese, on the other hand, steam many foods such as rice, vegetables, meat,
fish and herbs. The stone steamers in archaeological digs in the Yunnan province prove that the Chinese mastered steam cooking some 3,000 years ago. In China, steamers made of cypress strips eventually gave way to the more efficient and hardy bamboo ones. In India, food meant for steaming is packed in jackfruit or plantain leaves. The modern homemaker is more likely to use stainless steel idli cookers and pressure cookers with layered steel containers. However, pressure-cooking is not the same as traditional steam cooking unless the food is in layered baskets and does not directly encounter water.
Steaming preserves nutrition, texture and flavour. A study published in November 2003 in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture showed that steaming preserved nearly 90 per cent of antioxidants in fresh vegetables. However, pressure-cooking destroys nearly half the antioxidants, boiling destroys two-thirds, and microwaving zaps nearly 97 per cent of the antioxidants. Because food does not encounter water, steaming is best at preserving the water soluble B and C Vitamins. Steam preserves cellular architecture. Adding spices to the steaming water will impart a delicate flavour to the food. Steaming fruit like grapes and cherries makes it easier to juice them. Steaming is energy saving. Cooking different dishes in tiered containers in a pressure cooker or a steamer conserves energy. Steaming deserves a bigger role in Indian cooking. Most of us do not come even close to eating the 10 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables prescribed by the DASH diet. One reason for this is that most Indian vegetables are inedible when raw. Steamed vegetables are the closest to raw vegetables with regard to nutrition, and this is the best reason for using steam more often in Indian cooking.
RAJIV. M
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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