Energized Eating’s Blog

We are often told that cooking vegetables destroys nutrients. However that is only one side of the story! While raw foods have their place, it is often the alchemy of cooking that actually liberates nutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals for optimum bioavailability and absorption.

This has been shown with research on betacarotene - that is is more absorbably from cooked carrots than raw ones. And has also been borne out in research on the lycopene, a phytochemical found in tomto. Tomato sauces were shown to have more bioavailable lycopene than tomatoes in their raw state. The same applies to other vegetables. Overcooking is not the answer. Blanching or quick boiling seems an optimal way to achieve these nutritional ends and also procides a great taste and crunch! Quick boiling vegetables allows the antioxidnats and water soluable vitamins to come to the surface of the vegetables for optimal bioavailability when they are eaten. It is also a very relaxing way to eat vegetables. The styles of cooking we choose affects us when we consume the foods cooked in this way. When we are uptight and highly string, baking or pressure cooking may enhance these tightening and contractive effects. Eating blanched vegetables (complemented by other foods and cooking styles) can help use to achieve balance. When we submerge the vegetables quickly in very hot water, it relaxes their structure - think of the feeling if release and the sigh that often accompanies it when you sink into a hot bath at the end of a long, hard day…

There are many ways to blanch vegetables. I like to take a deep tall pan and fill it 3/4 or a little more with water and bring it to a rolling boil. I then throw in my vegetables for the alloted time and retrieve them with a slotter spoon or oil skimmer. Or I use a vegetable basket with a handle (you can often find these in Asian grocery stores when stocking up on green leafy vegetables). This is a great idea because you can remove them quickly and dont have to fish them out.

When the vegetables are immersed the water will often slow or stop its rolling boil but will quickly come back to a rolling boil if left on medium to high heat. I like the water to be bubbling and to cook the vegetable quickly to retain crunch and colour.

Green leafy vegetables cook fairly quickly - from one minte for bok choy, choy sum, spinach etc to a few minutes for collards, kale, broccoli greens and other hardy greens. Root vegetables may need slightly longer.

 Some people like to refresh them vegetables in cold or ice water to retain crunch. I dont find that so necessary. I feel that the quick, high heat seals in the crunch. Make sure to drain well to avoid sogginess.

You can also use vegetable stock or lightly salted water for vegetables other than leafy greens. Or for a festive meal, plan a Nabe party. A pot of simmering water (on a portable burner) is placed on the table and chopped and sliced ingredients are arranged in plates and bowls around it - vegetables, noodles, tofu, mushrooms and other delicacies. The individual diners then place the items in the boiling water or stock and retrieve it with their chopsticks.

 A similar dish can be made in the kitchen with ingredients dunked into water, stock or dash - a Japanese stock made from seavegetables and mushrooms. 

Othe variations include noodles and vegetbales in broth and quick boiled salad, where several vegetables are individually quick boiled and combined with a light dressing or sprinkled with freshly chopped herbs 

 Enjoy!

© Ilanit Tof 2006. All rights reserved. 

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