Quick Festive Recipes using Steamer

The festive season is synonymous with decadent and luscious food. Traditionally, these mouth-watering festive food items that bring everyone together are prepared at home, weeks in advance. But quite often, between the decorations, gift shopping, and countless gatherings, carving out time for elaborate cooking can feel impossible. This year, embrace the joy of stress-free feasting with the power of a steamer!

Kaju katli, Chorafali, Son Papdi, and many other high-calorie food items are staples during the festive season. This year calls for quick, delicious, and healthy recipes. For those aiming to prepare mouth-watering dishes without excessive oil, a steamer from Vinod Cookware is the ideal kitchen companion. Vinod Cookware offers a range of high-quality steamers (also known as multipots), perfect for preparing healthy and flavourful dishes in record time. 

Why Steam for the Festive Season?

Steaming offers a multitude of benefits, making it a fantastic ally for festive cooking:

• Steaming retains essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in your food. 
• Steaming is a fuss-free method, perfect for busy schedules. Simply fill your steamer with water, stack your ingredients, and let the steam work its magic!
• Steaming preserves the natural flavours of your ingredients. This allows the unique taste of each dish to shine through, without any unwanted masking.
• From delicate dumplings to hearty steamed buns, vegetables, and even fish, a steamer can handle a wide range of festive favourites.

Here, we’ll walk you through a few quick festive recipes you can create with a steamer.

Ingredients: 2 cups of plain curd made from full-fat milk, ½ cup condensed milk, and ½ tsp cardamom powder. 

Method:

• Remove the moisture from the curd by hanging it in a cloth for a couple of hours. 
• Once all the moisture is drained, place the hung curd in a mixing bowl. Now pour in the condensed milk and cardamom powder. Mix everything well. 
• Transfer the mixture into a stainless-steel bowl or a heat-proof bowl. Cover it with foil.
• Place the bowls in a steamer and steam for 20 minutes.
• Garnish with pistachios before serving.

Why use the steamer: Steaming helps thicken the curd and gives it a soft, creamy, melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Ingredients: 1 cup gram flour, 1 tbsp semolina, 1 tsp lemon juice, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, and ½ cup mixed grated vegetables (carrot, capsicum, spinach).

Method:

• In a bowl, mix gram flour, semolina, salt, sugar, lemon juice, and water to make a smooth batter. Add grated vegetables for a colourful, festive twist.
• Add baking soda right before steaming.
• Pour the batter into a greased plate and place it in the Vinod Stainless Steel Multi-Pot.
• Steam for about 10–12 minutes, then let it cool, cut into squares, and garnish with mustard seeds and chopped coriander.

Why use the steamer: Steaming dhokla gives it a soft, spongy texture without extra oil or frying, making it light yet filling.

Ingredients: Colocasia leaves (taro leaves), Besan flour, finely chopped green chilies, grated ginger, cumin seeds, coriander powder, turmeric powder, Salt to taste, and little oil for greasing.

Method: 

• Wash the taro leaves thoroughly, and pat them dry. Prepare the taro leaves by removing stalk completely and scrubbing the thick central vein.
• In a bowl, combine besan, green chilies, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Gradually add water while whisking continuously to form a smooth batter.
• Spread a thin layer of the batter on each colocasia leaf. Roll the leaves tightly. You can use toothpicks to secure the rolls.
• Grease a steamer plate and place the rolled leaves on it.
• Steam for 15-20 minutes, or until the leaves are cooked and the filling is set.
• Serve hot with a side of chutney.

Why use the steamer: Steaming taro leaves gives patras a soft, velvety texture and makes the taro leaves palatable.

As you prepare for your festive gatherings, why not explore the world of healthy, flavourful dishes that don’t compromise on taste or nutrition? With the Multipot / Steamers from Vinod Cookware, you can create an entire festive spread effortlessly, from savoury bites to sweet treats. 

Check out the range of Multipot / steamers from Vinod Cookware here, and start steaming your way to a delicious festive season!