Lettuce, a seemingly ordinary green vegetable, is actually a small treasure trove of nutrients. Imagine that this is not just a vegetable, it is filled with vitamins C and E, but also minerals like potassium and sodium, not to mention its benefits for our body with fiber and some trace elements.
On China's rich and delicate food map, lettuce has firmly occupied a place with its unique taste and nutritional value. Especially in spring and summer, lettuce has become the darling of the table with its crisp and refreshing characteristics and full of nutrition, and is known as "a golden dish". But did you know that how you prepare and cook lettuce has a huge impact on its taste and nutrient preservation? Most people may simply stir-fry it with meat, but is it really worthy of such a delicious ingredient? Today, let's talk about how to cook lettuce better to get its nutrition and taste the best, especially by steaming.
When choosing lettuce, look for those with plump stems, bright colors, and that look intact. Fresh lettuce leaves should be that vibrant green color so that you can see that they are really fresh.
Remember to cut off the leaves and hard stems before handling the lettuce, but don't throw the leaves away, they can be used to make soups or stir-fries. Gently remove the skin with a planer to retain more nutrients and make the lettuce more tender and crispy when cooked. After cutting the shape, add a little salt and mix it, and then rinse it with water, which can reduce the bitterness of the lettuce and make the taste more crisp.
Although everyone is accustomed to stir-frying lettuce directly with meat, which is indeed quick and convenient, but after adding oil and heat, the nutritional value of lettuce itself is reduced. A chef with a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan taught us another method, upgrading the dish of stir-fried lettuce with pork - lettuce and pork sauce.
First of all, let's still process the lettuce according to the old method, shredding it and soaking it in salt water slightly. Then prepare some ingredients such as minced pork, diced garlic, chives, shredded ginger and diced red pepper.
To make the pork sauce, first put some oil in the pan and fry the pork filling until it changes color, then add green onions, ginger, garlic and red pepper and stir-fry together. According to personal taste, you can add some soybean paste or light soy sauce to taste, and add some starch water to make the sauce thicker. In this way, our pork sauce is basically done.
The next lettuce processing is different from the traditional frying method, we have to use steamed. Spread the shredded lettuce on the steaming tray and steam for about 2 minutes. The lettuce produced in this way not only maintains a bright color, but also has a particularly crisp and tender taste.
When it's time for the final combination, put the steamed lettuce upside down on a plate and spread the fried pork sauce evenly on top of the lettuce. This dish retains the crisp texture of the lettuce and the aroma of pork sauce, killing two birds with one stone.
Lettuce is originally a highly nutritious vegetable, and how to cook it is directly related to whether the nutrients can be retained. Although it is easy to fry and eat, the high temperature can easily destroy the vitamins and minerals in the lettuce. In this way, lettuce and pork not only retain their respective nutrients, but also complement each other to create a delicious dish with both flavor and taste. The crispness of the lettuce and the deliciousness of the pork make the taste simply layered and unforgettable. This culinary innovation not only rejuvenates the traditional lettuce, but also brings more healthy cooking options to our kitchens.
At the end of the day, lettuce isn't just delicious, it's a healthy way to live. Exploring the various ways to cook lettuce will not only add more color and flavor to our table, but more importantly, we can enjoy the deliciousness while also enjoying the health. I hope that through this article, you can have a deeper understanding and love for lettuce, and better integrate this gift from nature into your daily life.