Tips

“The Secret to Delicious Sweet Potato Steaming: Don’t Skip This Extra Step!”

Introducing the secret to perfectly sweet and fluffy steamed potatoes: a simple step you may have overlooked. Uncover the ultimate technique to take your potato game to the next level, and impress your taste buds like never before!

Administrator

25 July, 2024

Sweet potatoes are a popular staple food for many. They are versatile and can be baked, steamed, boiled, made into cakes, or used in porridge, each method imparting its unique delicious flavor. Boiling and steaming are common ways to prepare sweet potatoes, but why do the ones prepared by street vendors taste sweeter and better? Chefs explain that a crucial step is often overlooked: drying.

Here is a detailed guide on how to prepare sweet potatoes that taste as good as those from the vendors:

Firstly, choose fresh sweet potatoes with intact, unwrinkled, and cut-free surfaces for easier storage. Once you’ve purchased them, wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Instead of steaming them right away, place them in a sunny, well-ventilated, and dry area for three days.

Drying the sweet potatoes reduces their moisture content, increasing the sugar concentration in the potatoes. This results in less watery, softer, and sweeter potatoes after steaming. They taste several times sweeter than potatoes steamed immediately after purchase.

Now, you can proceed to steam the potatoes. Add just enough water to a steamer and bring it to a boil. Place the potatoes in the steamer and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Smaller potatoes may take less time.

To check if the potatoes are done, pierce them with a pair of chopsticks or a fork. If they go in smoothly, the potatoes are ready. Turn off the heat and let the potatoes rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

*According to Phunuvietnam*

Frequently asked questions

The secret lies in an extra, often skipped step – brining. Soaking the sweet potatoes in a brine solution of water and salt for 30 minutes to an hour before steaming enhances their natural sweetness and softens their texture, resulting in a more flavorful and tender dish.

Brining is a process where osmosis occurs, causing the potatoes to absorb the seasoned water through their cell walls. This not only seasons the potatoes from the inside out, but also helps break down their structure, making them softer and easier to cook evenly.

While regular table salt can be used, opting for kosher salt or sea salt is recommended for brining. These salts have a cleaner flavor and are free-flowing, making it easier to dissolve them in water. They also contain additives that help denature the potatoes’ proteins, further tenderizing the vegetable.

The brining process already jumpstarts the cooking, so the steaming time is reduced. Depending on the size of the potatoes, steaming for 10-15 minutes should be sufficient. Overcooking them can lead to a mushy texture, so it’s important to keep an eye on them and check for doneness with a fork.

Absolutely! Brining works well for a variety of root vegetables, including carrots, parsnips, and beets. Adjust the brining time depending on the size and density of the vegetable. This technique is a great way to enhance the natural flavors of these vegetables and ensure a more consistent cooking result.