Double-steamed Pigeon and Ham Soup

Once my mother was awarded a small amount of money in back pay, and she immediately splurged by purchasing some expensive food items. She bought some delicate Smithfield ham because it was the closest thing to the Chinese ham she had known as a child. She finished off her windfall by purchasing a couple of pigeons. Then she combined her purchases, using the following unusual technique for making soup. It is called double-steaming, a process in which rich ingredients are steamed for hours in