_steaming Recipes

Steps:

• For the rack method, place the small or finely cut ingredients in a heatproof dish-as a rule, the shallower the dish, the better. Meanwhile bring several inches of water to a boil in a large pot, wok or roaster. Place in the pot a rack device that will clear the water level by 1 or 2 inches (see HOW-TO, _Steamers: To make your own). Then place the heatproof dish on that rack. Cover the pot and steam for the time specified in the recipe. As the boiling water evaporates, add more of the same from time to time to maintain its general level. For the bowl-in-a-pot method: Place the large cut of meat or whole poultry in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl in a large pot, wok or roaster and surround the bowl with boiling water to about two-thirds of its height. Cover the pot, steam as specified and replenish the boiling water with more of the same, as necessary. (At no point should the water be permitted to evaporate below the bowl's halfway mark.)NOTE: To guard against burned fingers when removing the steamed foods, turn the heat off first, set the pot lid aside and let the steam disperse for a few seconds. Then lift out the dish or bowl with path alders or rubber gloves. Also don't bend your head too close for the first few seconds after removing the lid, since the concentrated steam tends to be scalding. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.