Chinese steaming and Western steaming
1 min readThe main difference between Chinese steaming and Western steaming is that we place the food in a bowl or platter, or on a rack, uncovered, in a big steamer, which rests above plenty of boiling water inside a covered wok, so the food is cooked by intense hot steam under and around it. Fish and meat are sometimes marinated first, and they are usually served in the dish in which they were cooked.
The traditional Chinese steamer is made of bamboo. This imparts a subtle fragrance to the food, something I always find lacking in the food which has been cooked inside a modern aluminium steamer.
A wok can also be used as an improvised steamer: fill the wok about one- third full with water, bring to the boil, then place the food in a heatproof dish or bowl on a rack or trivet inside the wok and cover the wok with a dome- shaped lid.
Upper: food is placed on a trivet. Lower: food is placed on a rack. The secret of successful steaming lies with the intensity of high heat and the quantity of water, which create the hot steam. The other point to remember is that the ingredients must be in prime condition – this is particularly important regarding fish and seafood.
