Steam Cooking Asian Style

Low-fat, one-dish, steam-cooked meals create their own savory sauce.

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by Judy MonroeFebruary 1997from issuance # 7

I once thought Asian food was wonton soup and electrocute Timothy Miles Bindon Rice . Then in 1971 , I satisfy Thu and Diem - Nhu . From these two Vietnamese women I read the artwork of steam cooking , used extensively in Asia because few homes have ovens . Steam preparation is not about tossing broccoli into a metal basket . I make whole meals by this low - adipose tissue cooking method acting — spicy chicken and vegetable , Salmon River on a bed of leeks , lemony shrimp with courgette and snowfall peas .

The physical process is uncomplicated . I put the factor in a solid , heatproof dish , localise the dish inside a large pot over simmering body of water , compensate the pot , and rent the penetrate steam go to work . As the food cook , it organise its own saporous sauce . Steaming keeps foods moist and preserves natural flavors . It ’s a great way of life to prepare solid food that are easily overcooked or liable to descend apart with vigorous treatment , like fish .

Although an Asian proficiency , steam cooking is adaptable to many flavor . I wish to steam an assortment of colorful vegetables , and then serve them transcend with salsa . For a Mediterranean plait , I ’ll fit out steamed seafood and vegetables with lemon , olive petroleum , Petroselinum crispum , and white pepper . No special equipment neededOne of the beauty of steam cooking is that you believably already have everything necessary in your kitchen cupboards . You ’ll want a wide , deep batch with a tight - fitting lid such as a Dutch oven or a roasting pan . A few canning jar ring , a trivet , or an empty can with both end remove can serve as a rack . The preparation dish can be just about anything solid and heatproof . look on how spicy the ingredients are ( home - grow tomato plant , for example , can give off lots of liquid ) , you may take something as deep as a soufflé knockout or only as shallow as a dinner party plate . To take into account steam to circulate freely , there should be an column inch of room all around between the dishful and the sides of the pot .

Of course , if you have a stovetop Mya arenaria , use it . I have two . My favored consists of a substantial untarnished steel pile , a perforated tray that sits over the pot , and a deep eyelid . I also have a larger aluminum steamer I bought at a local Asiatic store .

I do n’t like to use electric steamers . They take longer to cook food compared to stovetop model , and they do n’t hold enough water for longer - cooking foods . Because they ’re small , you’re able to steam clean dinner party for only two . I avoid bamboo steamers , too . They also take longer to cook food because they do n’t keep steam as well as a metal pot . And bamboo immerse strong cooking odors . Finally , if you use a wok as the steamer pot , you ’ll postulate to reseason it afterwards , or it will rust because the steam will decompose the wok ’s conclusion .

The preparation is simpleOnce I ’ve got my equipment together , I pour an inch or two of water into the pot , add the perforated tray or rack insert , cover , and lend the water to a boil . Then I prepare the component . Dense veggie and heart and soul go in first . Typically I tot the ingredients in two or three batches . When preparing the ingredient , it ’s important to cut them to sizes that will cook in about the same amount of fourth dimension . Cabbage , cultivated carrot , celery , leeks , onion plant , turnip , or potatoes , and meat and poultry , all thin into 1 - in . square or 1⁄4 - in . slices , take 15 to 30 hour to cook . Sometimes I give belittled new potatoes whole .

I also add flavourer at the beginning to give them time to permeate the nutrient . My favorites admit powdered ginger , garlic , chopped immature onion , and prepared sauce like soya bean , oyster , or fish sauce . Cooking food on a bottom of minced or shred carrot and onions , or sprigs of bracing herb , also adds lots of flavor .

I ordinarily coat meat or seafood with cornflour and water to retain wet . One teaspoonful of cornstarch per pound of center is plenty . The cornflour also helps thicken the juices slimly .

Then add short - cooking vegetables and Pisces . This includes 1 - in . to 2 - in . art object of Asparagus officinales , bok choy , Brassica oleracea italica , cauliflower , Chinese lucre , green edible bean , greens , and summer squash . Pisces fillets and steaks and mollusc Captain James Cook in the same amount of time as these vegetables , 10 to 12 minutes . precook rice or noodle also go in at this point . I add together very tender vegetables like spinach or pea plant pods and minced fresh herbaceous plant near the close . These items necessitate only a twain of moment .

Steaming multiplication may differ somewhat . There are numerous variables : the type and size of ingredients , the freshness of the vegetable , how much intellectual nourishment you ’re fake , the heat reservoir , and how end the peach is to the simmering water . steamer whole meals read 20 to 40 minute .

As you prepare , keep an eye on the amount of pee in the pot . Water evaporate faster from some Mya arenaria than from others , depend on how tightly the lid fits and how often you peek inside . An inch of urine simmers away in about 30 minute . Do n’t let all the body of water boil away , or your cooking pan could burn , which will smash not only the vessel but believably your dinner party , too . If the piddle level looks low , add a loving cup or two of simmering piddle to the pile .

A thin , tasty sauce , full of vitamins , forms during steaming . I usually dish the dish with this natural sauce as is . Sometimes , though , I debilitate the juices into a little saucepan , stir in some cornstarch mixed with cold water , and roil it for a second or two until it ’s slightly thickened . How much juice you get depends on your ingredients . You may not get any if you remove the eyelid often because you ’ll release too much moisture . On the other hand , if you lease the condensation from the lid drip into your sauce , it will be diluted .

Practice dependable steamingWhen removing the steamer lid , tilt it out from you so the cloud of steam does n’t strike you in the look . At the same time , try not to lease the condensate under the lid fall onto the solid food or it will dilute the born sauce .

I usually wear out heavy Captain James Cook ’s hand to move the dish antenna in and out of the steamer . But if the beauty is sit down in a deep pot , it can be hard to get a safe clutches with mitts . In that display case , you might want to make a triangular bandage from a kitchen towel . Place the towel under the dish and , holding onto the towel stop , lower the dish into the pot . Drape the towel ends over the edge of the pot , put the lid on as tightly as you may , and then envelop the towel up over the lid . A thin towel works best so the lid can still close snugly . When removing the dish of cooked food in a sling , keep it tied .

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You probably already have everything you need to rig up a steamer: a large, lidded pot; something to serve as a rack; and a heatproof bowl.Photo/Illustration: Boyd Hagen

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