The Many Ways You Can Prepare Steamed Dishes

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    Among the Asian staples are our favorite dimsum and other steamed dishes.  Sometimes we become so used to these dishes that we fail to realize there are many ways in which we can undergo the preparation process, even without a dedicated food steamer. So next time you plan on ordering your favorite dish, check out these easy ways your can have your own steamed recipes at home.

    1) Steaming with a Claypot [direct heat] –  This traditional way of cooking is common in Cantonese cuisine. When using this method, it is best to use the Bamboo Steamer Set which comes with a circular tray that can hold all your different dimsum dishes. This will ensure that they are not crowded when steaming them together at the same time.

    If you do not have a claypot, fret not because you could also use aluminum foil in making one instead. Just stack 4 sheets of aluminum foil on top of each other and make sure there are no creases before starting your stacking process again until you reach at least 6-8 layers for strong support. Then fold 2 opposite sides inward before doing the same with the other two to close it off completely, leaving an opening at

    2) Steaming with a Metal Steamboat [indirect heat]

    1. a) Steamer Rack – Place the ingredients on top of it and make certain that no ingredients will touch the water beneath the steamer.
    2. b) Metal Plate – This is placed on top of the boiling water in order to support the ingredients for steaming.

    3) Steaming with a Chinese Steamer [indirect heat]

    a) Bamboo Steamer Set – This method of steaming is known as diāo in Mandarin and it is one way of ensuring that dim sum stays moist while cooking, without losing too much steam during the process. When using this set, fill a wok or pot with water and place a circular cooling rack inside for your bamboo steamers to rest on top of it. Make sure that there are several inches from the bottom of the wok/pot before adding cold water into it.

    If these still sound way too complicated for you, we also now have modern solutions to steaming dishes, and they are probably already found in your pantry: rice cookers and multi-cooker.

    Steaming with Rice Cooker

    If you have a rice cooker, just fill it up to the indicated water level that the manufacturers indicate and choose the timer button. The rice cooker will automatically turn off once it has been steaming for a while. The best part is you can cook your rice and steam it at the same time with a rice cooker.

    Steaming with Multi-Cooker

    Some multi-cookers also come with steam functions as well as slow cooking functions. In addition, they can also be used as a rice cooker as well as a yogurt maker! What more could you ask for?

    Having your own steamed dishes at home might sound complicated but these are not really hard steps to follow either. Just remember that an important first step is to prepare your ingredients before heating your tools or equipment. So next time you plan on making your favorite dish, try one of these methods and let us know what you think.

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