We steam mangetout in the Thermomix® Varoma®, because they keep their colour and stay crisp rather than turning mushy. The quick guide: wash 400 g of mangetout, pour 500 g of vegetable stock into the mixing bowl, spread the pods loosely across the Varoma tray and the insert tray, then cook for 15 min / Varoma® / speed 1.
Mangetout are one of the few vegetables where you eat the pod as well. That makes the cooking method crucial: too much heat and the pods go limp, too little and they stay stringy. The Varoma® holds the temperature consistently below 100 °C and cooks gently with steam. That is precisely why we do not use a regular saucepan here.
Steamed Mangetout in the Thermomix® Varoma®
Ingredients 0 / 2 ✓
- 400 g mangetout
- 500 g vegetable stock
Instructions 0 / 3
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1
Wash the mangetout.
Wash the mangetout.
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2
Add the vegetable stock.
Pour the vegetable stock into the mixing bowl.
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3
Steam the mangetout.
Spread the mangetout across the Varoma tray and the Varoma insert tray. Place the Varoma on top and cook for 15 min / Varoma / speed 1.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the Varoma® keeps the pods crisp
In a saucepan, mangetout sit directly in boiling water. That leaches out water-soluble vitamins and softens the pods from every side. In the Varoma® they stay above the water and are surrounded by steam only. The temperature sits just below 100 °C rather than above it, the cell walls remain more stable and the pods hold their shape. Per serving, 80 mg of vitamin C is preserved, a value that drops noticeably when vegetables are boiled in water.
The 15-minute cooking time at speed 1 is designed for 400 g of mangetout. With larger quantities the time does not increase proportionally, because the steam acts from all sides. We spread the pods loosely across the Varoma tray and the insert tray so the steam can circulate everywhere. If they are packed too tightly, the pods on the bottom go soft while the ones on top are still undercooked.
15 minutes in the Varoma® versus 3 minutes in a pressure cooker: the difference
Anyone who reads cooking tips saying mangetout blanch in 1 to 2 minutes or steam in 3 to 5 minutes will wonder about our 15 minutes. The reason is physical: a steamer insert sits directly over vigorously boiling water, so the steam arrives at full 100-degree force. The Varoma® sits higher, the steam travels a longer path and arrives more gently and at a slightly lower temperature. This gentler treatment costs time, but it protects both colour and bite.
If you prefer them a little firmer, you can reduce the time to 13 minutes. We would not go below 12 minutes for 400 g, otherwise the stalk end stays stringy. If you prefer softer pods, for example for young children, add 2 to 3 minutes. The advantage with the Thermomix®: while the pods steam above, the stock simmers below as the base for a sauce. More on that in a moment.
Vegetable stock as a steam base and sauce starter
The 500 g of vegetable stock in the mixing bowl is not only the steam source, it also infuses the mangetout with its aroma as it rises. Water would work, but the stock provides a savoury base flavour. This is exactly where the Thermomix® shows its strength: the stock stays in the mixing bowl after cooking and becomes the base for a quick sauce. Stir in 1 tbsp of flour and 50 g of double cream, cook for 4 min / 90 °C / speed 3, and you have a light sauce for the pods without using a second pan.
Important: the stock must already be in the mixing bowl before you place the Varoma® on top. If you add it later, there will be no steam build-up at the start and the cooking time will shift. 500 g is the minimum for 15 minutes of steam. If you double the quantity of pods, top up to 700 g so the mixing bowl does not run dry.
Ends, strings and the common pitfalls when steaming
Stringy ends
With mangetout, the question of trimming the ends is less strict than with green beans. The ends are edible but often stringy. Our solution: We snap off only the stalk end, because that is where the string starts. The tip end can stay on. The string along the seam often comes away when you snap off the stalk end. If it does not, remove it with a knife. With very young pods you can skip this step entirely.
Limp, grey pods after cooking
If the pods are grey and limp after cooking, the time was too long or they were packed too tightly. Our solution: Start checking from 12 minutes and bite into one pod. It should be bright green and give a little resistance. If you want to be completely safe, plunge the cooked pods briefly into iced water. This stops the cooking process immediately and fixes the colour.
Uneven results
Some pods are soft, others still undercooked. This is almost always caused by stacking. Our solution: Spread the pods in a single, loose layer across the Varoma tray and the insert tray rather than piling them up. Separate thicker pods from thinner ones and place the thicker ones at the bottom of the tray, where the steam arrives first.
Seasoning, butter and a quick fry: variations
With butter and pepper: Toss the cooked pods in melted butter with freshly ground pepper. This turns them into a stand-alone side dish rather than just a filler vegetable.
Asian style with sesame: After cooking, toss with 1 tsp of sesame oil, a little soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds. Goes well with rice and pan-fried chicken.
Quick fry: If you like a roasted flavour, steam the pods for only 10 minutes first, then fry them in hot butter or oil for 2 minutes. They stay crisp and pick up a little colour as well.
In a vegetable mix: Steam together with broccoli florets or sliced carrots. Note: carrots take longer, so pre-cook them for 5 minutes first, then add the mangetout.
What we serve the mangetout with
Mangetout are ready to eat as soon as they come out of the Varoma®. We serve them as a side dish with pan-fried fish or chicken, because their natural sweetness provides a contrast to savoury main courses. You can also steam courgettes in the Thermomix® Varoma® using the same principle, just with a shorter cooking time. If you want to understand Varoma® steaming in general, our Varoma® steaming guide covers all the details.
For a sauce made from the stock left in the mixing bowl, it helps to know how speeds and temperatures work in the Thermomix® so that cream and flour bind smoothly rather than getting overworked.
How to keep leftovers crisp and how long they last
Reheating works poorly, because the pods lose their crunch on the second heating. It is better to cook only as much as you need straight away. If you do have leftovers: cooked mangetout keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. Cold, they are actually quite good in a salad with a little oil and lemon.
Freezing is possible but only a last resort. To do so, steam the pods for just 8 minutes, plunge into iced water, pat dry and freeze in portions. They keep for 3 months. Once thawed they are softer than freshly cooked and are better suited to stir-fries than serving on their own. Raw, unwashed mangetout keep in the vegetable drawer for 3 to 4 days.
Pairs well with: Salmon.
More gently steamed vegetables from the Varoma® can be found in our Varoma® steaming guide and in our recipe for steamed courgettes in the Thermomix® Varoma®.
