From its name, you could think that emperor vegetables (“Kaisergemüse”) is a fancy German dish dating back hundreds of years. But don’t be fooled, it isn’t. This vegetable dish is not what was served to the German kaiser (ok, maybe he ate something similar at times).
German Kaisergemüse is a mixture of vegetables that are boiled and sweated in butter. Typically, the three emperor vegetables are broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. But why is this combination called emperor vegetables?
It is because the food industry decided to use this term to promote frozen vegetables. Nothing more, nothing less. I mean, if food has “kaiser” in its name it sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Don’t we all want to eat like the emperor at his court who has a few dozen cooks to prepare multicourse meals each day?
Why I don’t use the frozen mix to prepare emperor vegetables
Even though the name comes from frozen vegetable mixes, I urge you to prepare this dish with fresh vegetables. They have a better texture and you don’t need to stick with just carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. I love to add kohlrabi, parsley roots, and peas to my emperor vegetables. You can add whatever vegetable you like or have lying around in the fridge.
To make these vegetables taste good, it is important that you cook the vegetables in only a little water and let the water reduce until it resembles a thick glaze. It is like cooking broth. The more water gets evaporated, the more intense this vegetable broth gets. In the end, you have tender vegetables glazed with butter and vegetable broth. Delicious!
This is my favorite way to eat and prepare vegetables! They have an unmatched, natural sweetness. The flavor is pure but intense.
Emperor vegetables (‘Kaisergemüse’)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 grams) mixed vegetables of your choice (eg. carrots, kohlrabi, parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower, peas), cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1-inch (2.5 cm) knob of ginger, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar, to taste
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place all the firm vegetables that take longer to cook (eg. carrots, kohlrabi) in a large pan. Fill the pan with water so that the vegetables are covered by about 3/4th. Add the ginger, sugar, and butter. Bring the water to a boil. About 2-3 minutes before all the water has evaporated, add the softer vegetables that take shorter to cook (eg. broccoli, peas). Continue to cook until almost all the water has evaporated and you are left behind with a tiny amount of glaze that coats all the vegetables in a thin layer. If the vegetables are still too firm for your taste, you can add a little more water to the pan if needed and cook them a little more.
- Season the vegetables to taste with a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar and salt.
