Now we're cooking with ... steam!

[khiemtran]

In Hurstville today, we picked up a big new steamer. Which means we can now steam multiple dishes at once.



It's dead easy to use. You fill the base with water and then put the dishes you want to steam at each layer. This is pork with spicy black bean sauce.



And on the next tier, we'll put a plate of sliced eggplant (one of my favourite vegetables to steam).



Ten to fifteen minutes later...



And the eggplant is gorgeous served just with a simple splash of tamari.



Meanwhile, I've put a dish of pork with ginger, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and sugar back on the bottom tier.



And a plate of English spinach on top.



Ten minutes later...



And... (with a sesame dressing)



Round three. Let's try the remaining pork with some Shiitake mushrooms, a little Shaoxing wine and some tamari.



And some kai lan on top this time.



Cool! (Although I didn't soak the mushrooms quite long enough - next time, I'll remember to slice them first...)



And here's the kai lan. This proved a lot harder to get right. I think it might be a lot easier just to boil it.



Served with oyster sauce mixed in with the juices extracted from squeezing the leaves.



All up, it was very impressive. The best part about it is that once you fill the steamer, you can pretty much leave it alone to do all the work. It takes a few minutes to prep the next pair of dishes, giving you plenty of time to enjoy... oh, say, a Theakston's Old Peculier...

Comments

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Ok, one of two things has to happen:

1) You have got to wait until I go to bed to make these food posts, or

2) I have got to be strong and not click on the entries until the next day. :P

It is time for bed, and you have me hungry!

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I've heard that midnight snacks are great for improving creativity... :)

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

In that case, I think I need to go visit the kitchen. It is 2am and I'm in need of some creativity!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Wow, the eggplant!! Mouthwatering. And the pork and shiitake mushrooms--you're giving me some good meal ideas! (My family will thank you.)

I have a piece of equipment that looks like that, sort of--I wonder if it's in fact a multilevel steamer (we got it from a tag sale, and I only ever use one portion of it at a time). The steam rises through all the levels,I guess?

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's actually quite cleverly designed. The bottom piece (everything below the first set of handles in the top picture), has a removable plate with lots of holes about halfway down. This means it can turn into an ordinary pot if you need one. The next tier has holes at the bottom and is designed so that it packs away with the base part to converse space. The lid is also quite clever - there are little holes at the rim to let out steam and it's shaped to avoid condensation dripping down on top of the food.

[rymrytr.livejournal.com]

Does one eat the skin of the egg plant?

And, do you prefer this steamer over the stackable bamboo? Clean up easier? (You are so tempting me!!!!!)

I love steamed mix... potato, half ear of corn, cauliflower; broccoli, etc.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, you eat the skin when it's cooked like this. It becomes quite soft. And, yes, it is much easier to clean than the bamboo baskets. The other nice thing is the way the pieces fit inside each other for storage.