# Making  vegetables more flavoursome?



## nicklord1 (Feb 9, 2009)

Hello i had some  vegetables  years ago in a resturants carrots which where   cooked with some sort  of seed or spice which added new  dimensions to   the dish. I was wondering if you chefs knew what spices once could add to veg to  bring them to life.


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## mcnerd (Feb 9, 2009)

Dill and butter work well with carrots.


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## vyapti (Feb 9, 2009)

I like to cook carrots in about 1/2 cup of wine, then stir in some parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
 In stir fries, I use some sort of sauce, always different, but usually has soy sauce and sherry.
 Roast vegetables in a little olive oil and fresh herbs.
 For cauliflower, I like to add some whole cumin seeds to hot oil before I roast or fry it.
 In general, fresh herbs and, often, lemon juice are welcome additions.


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## cara (Feb 9, 2009)

glaze with honey or something like that..
parsley or nutmeg works well with carrots and potatoes...  and nutmeg with broccoli and cauliflower also..


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## larry_stewart (Feb 9, 2009)

Ive had it in Indian restaurants with cumin seeds.  Definitely puts a twist on it .


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## GB (Feb 9, 2009)

The sky is the limit really. You can use any herbs or spices you like with veggies.


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## nicklord1 (Feb 9, 2009)

yeah cumin seeds  i think  gives the taste a slap in your mouth .

Herbs and butter are  equally nice ,  i like the dill  addition.

With cumin seeds  do oyu fry them till they make a noise then just toss on the carrots after they are cooked


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## Callisto in NC (Feb 9, 2009)

I prefer my carrots sweet with brown sugar and ginger.  I know it's not very healthy but I love the taste.  To this day it's the only way I can get my daughter to eat them. 

If I'm eating healthy I steam them and add garlic to the steam water.  It imparts enough flavor to make them taste good enough to get them down.  Of course, a ton of butter always helps but that defeats the purpose of steaming, IMO.


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## flukx (Feb 9, 2009)

I have also had carrots with a very subtle vanilla taste in an upscale french restaurant - didnt really like it though.


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## Callisto in NC (Feb 9, 2009)

flukx said:


> I have also had carrots with a very subtle vanilla taste in an upscale french restaurant - didnt really like it though.


Carrots are a great veggie because they can be made both sweet and savory.  The vanilla would be a product of the sweet, I.E. carrot cake.  That plus some ginger would be an interesting combo.


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## mudbug (Feb 9, 2009)

try boiling carrots in orange juice, green beans in lemon juice (not full strength). add chopped walnuts to the carrots and sliced almonds to the beans.


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## Fearless Kitchen (Feb 19, 2009)

Personally, I'm a huge fan of cumin.  I'm a big fan of coriander too.  I'm NOT a big fan of carrots, but cumin or ginger tends to make them more palatable to me.


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## Yakuta (Feb 19, 2009)

As GB stated you can bring veggies to life by adding herbs and spices and aromatics such as garlic and ginger. 

In Indian cooking a veggie is never an ordinary veggie, it is transformed by the use of spices and addition of other ingredients like onions, tomatoes, nuts, cream, yogurt, coconut, tamarind and the list goes on and on.  The interesting thing is that you can use the same veggie (example eggplant) and if you cook it with one set of ingredients like tomatoes, onions and yogurt it tastes completely different than if you made it with more pungent spices, nuts, tamarind etc. 

I also prefer to slow cook or roast vegetables to bring out natural sweetness and a more intense flavor.  Given my affinity towards everything flavorful, it does get a healthy does of cumin, corrainder, ajwain seeds, chilis, herbs like cilantro and lime juice.  The end product is super delicious.


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## Jikoni (Feb 19, 2009)

I agree entirely with Yakuta. How about adding capsicums(red and yellow) for the colour and to enhance the taste. Try slowly roasting the capsicum in olive oil, then adding to the other veggies, that way you get the capsicum taste and the roasting taste.


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## B'sgirl (Feb 19, 2009)

My mother uses butter, parsley, and basil. It's very good.


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## QueenBea (Feb 21, 2009)

I love carrots and any other veg to be roasted and then honey spread over them.


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## Deathbysoup (Feb 21, 2009)

I have no idea what spices the restaurant used but a mixture of butter and a bit of brown sugar over steamed carrots is delicious.


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## kelly0422 (Jun 16, 2009)

i like use bananas to make salad.it is easy and it tastes like ice cream when it put in the frige


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## mike in brooklyn (Jun 16, 2009)

I add ginger at times (like Callisto) and saute the carrots after
par boiling or microwaving them a bit. This caramelizes them and
makes them a bit sweeter.


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## katybar22 (Jun 16, 2009)

When cooking carrots as a side dish, I like to cook them in beef stock w/onion, mainly because I love them w/pot roast.  I also like to roast in the oven w/seasoned salt, red pepper and olive oil.  It makes them sweet, savory and spicy all at the same time.


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## FoodDiva (Jun 16, 2009)

I add flavor to my veggies by cooking them with onion, garlic and black pepper. Sometimes I add cajun pepper to spice things up a little. Also adding some butter to steamed veggies is very tasty.


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