Inspired from the Vietnamese way of cooking

Steaming instead of frying or boiling

Today just for fun I went to a mall to try clothes. I have done this now and than over the last six months. And I enjoy the fact that I actually can fit into clothes in a normal store again. I can just pick something from the rack in the ordinary ladies department and it will fit. This has not been possible for years for me.

It is five weeks since I did this last time and now today I went again. And I felt very satisfied since I could fit into pants one size smaller than five weeks ago. Even the tops I could fit into a size smaller.  These things just gives me inspiration to continue the way I have been doing these last 13 months. Now I can really see and feel so much results.

During this time I have eaten a lot of greens as I have written about before. Now I want to just share how I prepare them, since this has been a great experience as well for me, a new learning experience as well.

Preparing the vegetables and food I have found inspiration in the Vietnamese Kitchen. These last thirteen months I have made a lot of Vietnamese dishes and studied receipts and gotten inspired.

I also learnt a new way to cook and prepare the food. This is through steaming the food instead of boiling or frying.  I have used the wok to prepare dishes as well but most days I use the steamer to prepare the vegetables. I even use it for other dishes, to defrost, cook or heat.

Woking

Woking is a great way to make a sallad a warm dish instead of cold. And I just add spices instead of dressing to make it tasty. I add some meat or fish or shrimps or meatballs or anything I like to make it a little more a whole meal than just a sallad.

Steaming

What is great with the steamer is that I can steam the vegetables to the softness or crispiness I prefer and also all the nutrients will stay in the vegetables. There is also no oil or anything needed. The Vietnamese or Chinese steamers have several layers, so I can cook many different vegetables at the same time. I can even have a layer with the main dish to keep it warm.

 

 

Sometimes when in a hurry, I will put frozen meat in one layer, chicken for instance, instead of defrosting in the microwave, or if I forgot to take it out the day before. I can cook it in the steamer and just fry it up a bit when it is just ready to be served. Even fresh meat I steam before frying it up. This makes it more juice and not dry as it can become sometimes if frying or baking in the oven.

There are different types of steamers. For about six months I used a Bamboo steamer that can be placed in a ordinary pot. You put a little water in the bottom of the pot and the steamer inside. However since I used it so much it one day fell apart. So I had seen the stainless steel one´s in the Asien Markets where I had been buying foodstuffs. And I decided to get one of the smaller and cheaper one´s. And it has been great.

This weekend I made Roasted Turkey and served it with mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots and gravy. I boiled the potatoes in the bottom pan, steamed the Brussels sprouts in one layer and the carrots in the second layer, one pot for all. The taste of the vegetables is so much better this way than when cooked in water.

Since it is Thanksgiving the coming weekend for many people, I also give you the link to my Roasted Turkey Dinner. And you know, Turkey meat is the best meat ever when you want to eat healthy and even loose weight.

Roasted Turkey for Thanksgiving

http://ohemmabjorg.blogspot.se/2013/11/roasted-turkey.html

Nutritional value Turkey meat