Steaming

Steaming is a beautiful, gentle way to cook most ingredients, especially seafood. The Chinese technique of steaming is great for keeping food moist and creating light sauces with a very natural taste. It’s simple: you just have to have a steamer that is large enough to hold a bowl or plate, and the food is usually steamed in a light broth or with its seasonings.

So first things first: the steamer. You can buy a metal steamer with a base, a lid and as many steamer trays as you like (normally up to two or three layers works well), or you can buy a bamboo steamer and fit it over a pot or a wok filled with boiling water. Another alternative is to place two or three chopsticks in a wok and place a bowl on top of the chopsticks — cover the wok and presto, an instant steamer.