With a baby in the house, steam has become an all important part of our lives. In addition to workaday stuff like sterilising bottles and helping clear stuffed-up noses, steam really comes into play when you’re feeding babies and small children the first few meals of their lives. Steaming food uses zero-fat, preserves nutrients, colour and subtle tastes and most of all, it’s super quick so not only are the offspring fed quicker but mummy’s managed to save most of the goodness of the veggies.
Each household seems to have its favourite method and utensils. Some steam in pressure cookers, some in simple steel vessels. I’ve also been convinced by a door-to-door salesman of the life-changing capabilities of a set of Tupperware-inspired mini-idli steamers, created especially for steaming in the microwave. At the steel market today, I was impressed with the range of steam-technology on offer, so research a little before you decide on what your way is going to be.
Most cuisines in this country use steam magnificently. Dhoklas and idlis and custards and dumplings and fish in leaves emerge, trailing vapours of aroma, delicately and perfectly ensconced in their original flavours. Steaming meat can be slightly more tricky. While dim-sum is safe because it’s usually small quantities and minced up, I was more wary of using steam to cook a leg of chicken. But it worked and how! I hope you’ll try some of today’s recipes — they are as simple as they look and yield light, clean tasting, super-healthy meals.

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Orange Smoked Chicken
What a revelation this recipe was! I’d never steamed/smoked a chicken at home before and was very wary of how it would turn out. The combination method used in this case (steam plus smoke) seemed to work perfectly. The chicken was tender, moist and had a lovely flavour. We ate it with some organic brown basmati cooked in vegetable stock and a light soy-ginger glaze on the side. The five-spice powder really made all the difference in the aromas. If you can’t get the powder commercially, follow the recipe below. Store what’s left in an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of months.

Ingredients:
6 chicken thighs
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ cup red wine
4 tbs brown sugar
Zest of 2 oranges
1 whole star anise
Fresh coriander

Method:

Wash and dry the chicken. Mix soy sauce, five-spice powder, salt, sugar and wine and let the chicken sit in it for about 2 hours. Remove and steam lightly for about 20 minutes. Now, grind the zest and brown sugar together with the star anise. Take a heavy pan that has a tight lid on it. Layer the bottom of the pan with two layers of good quality foil, shiny side up. Let the foil come up a couple of inches on the inside of the pan. Spread the sugar mixture across the foil and turn the heat up. Take a wire-rack or trivet and place your steamed chicken on it and lower into the pan. Cover the pan and turn the heat up until the sugar starts to smoke. Then lower the heat to simmer and ‘smoke’ the chicken for about 20 minutes. (Check to see if it’s done. If not, then give it some more time.) Make sure your kitchen windows are open at this time and that the surrounding areas are well ventilated and keep a watch on the pan at all times.
Once it’s cooked, the chicken can be served as is or slid off the bone and sliced finely and eaten hot or cold. To make a glaze, take equal parts ginger, orange zest, soy sauce, 1 cup white wine, 1 tsp sugar and cook gently, adding 1 tsp of cornflour to thicken.

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Stuffed Mushrooms
Originally, this recipe calls for the mushrooms to be stuffed with pork mince but you could use tofu, the top ends of broccoli or even soya mince. Lightly flavoured, it doesn’t have the wherewithal to be part of a main course but is great as a little veggie side or even a snack. Choose the largest button mushrooms you can find because not only are they easier to stuff, the steaming really shrinks them down by about 25%. The water they lose though can be used to make a sauce.

Ingredients:
20 large button mushrooms
1 cup mince or crumbled tofu
2 tbs crushed roasted peanuts
1 tbs cornflour
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp grated ginger
1 pinch sugar
½ tsp salt
2 tbs coriander
2 chillies
3 or 4 stalks
lemongrass (optional)

Method:
Lightly rinse the mushrooms and gently dry them. Carefully twist away the stalks and reserve them. Mix the mince, peanuts, cornflour, sauces, ginger, chillies, sugar, salt and coriander. Take a little of the mixture and carefully press it into the hollow of each mushroom. Take a heat-safe bowl that will fit into your steaming pan and lightly oil it with sesame oil. If using lemongrass, place the stalks at the bottom of the bowl.
Place the mushrooms, cap-side down, filling side up into the bowl. Cover the dish with foil and poke a few holes in the foil with a toothpick. Put into the steamer and steam for about 25 minutes. Let stand and remove.
Then drain the liquid into a pan, add 1 tsp of cornflour mixed with cold water. Let it thicken and drizzle over the mushrooms before serving on a bed of fried noodles and coriander.

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Vishnu in a sea of milk
I just love the name! If you’re lucky, you can buy a glass of it on the streets of Thailand. Cold and sweet, it is a natural antithesis to the heat and humidity and is very refreshing despite the coconut milk. Kids, adults… everyone loves this energising, fragrant drink. You have to use a colander (try one you’ve been using to steam stuff in) to get the pale green pearls of ‘vishnu’ to form. That done, all you have to do is serve it up in tall glasses with lots of crushed ice.

Ingredients:
2 tbs cornflour
1 cup rosewater*
1 cup water
1 bowl iced water
4 tbs sugar
1 drop green food colouring
4 cups thin coconut milk

*You could also use jasmine scented water

Method:

Stir the rosewater, regular water and cornflour together and then in a shallow pan, on low heat keep stirring. It will turn white, then begin to bubble and thicken and as it does, it turns clear again. (Ask the kids to watch, they find this stuff fascinating.) When it is clear, add a drop or two of green food colour (you want a very light green). Stand the colander above the bowl of iced water and ‘push’ the green cornflour mix through the holes. As they drop into the iced water they will set forming pearls. (Again, something the kids will love doing and watching.) Let the pearls stand for about 5 mins in the iced water, then carefully drain using a fine sieve and place the pearls in a bowl, stored in the fridge. Next, dissolve the sugar into the coconut milk. Splash in some more rosewater if you want the milk thinner. When ready to serve, pile ice into a glass, spoon in some green pearls and top up with the sweet, thin coconut milk. Delicious!

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Five Spice Powder

This is a rough approximation of the five spice powder. However, unless you get Szechwan peppercorns it won’t have that subtle ring of authenticity but it will do.

Ingredients:
2 tsp peppercorns
6 star anise flowers
1/2 tsp cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tbs ground fennel (saunf) seed
Pinch of allspice

Method:
Toast the pepper lightly, then grind with the peppercorns, bay leaves and star anise. Sieve and mix with the ground spice powders. Mix in remaining ingredients and grind again.

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Fat Horses
If you love dim sum, can’t afford to go eat out all the time and could do without the doughy coverings, then you have met the recipe of your dreams. Steamed in small bowls, subtle yet satisfying, these steamed dumplings without the frou-frou are perfect with a side of soupy rice or noodles. The smaller the bowls, the nicer the presentation.

Ingredients:
5 cloves garlic
½ cup chopped coriander (leaves, root, stalks)
1 spring onion chopped
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons coconut cream*
2 cups minced chicken/pork/shrimp
1 tsp lemon zest chopped
2 chillies chopped
1 egg

*If using coconut milk powder, mix 3 tbs powder with 2 tbs water to make the cream. If you use fresh coconut, let the coconut milk stand for a bit and then scoop the fatty bit on top for this recipe.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together except the eggs. You can lightly blitz the mix with a handheld blender but you may like the texture if your mince is already fine. Set the water to bowl in a large pot. While it boils, separate the yolk and white of the egg. Beat them both separately and then add half the beaten yellow to the beaten white. Mix until frothy and then fold into the mixture. Using your finger, lightly grease each little bowl with a drop or two of sesame oil. Press the mix down into each bowl quite firmly. Leave about 2 mm from the top because the mix will swell slightly with cooking. Brush each full bowl with what’s left of the beaten egg yolk.
Carefully lower onto your trivet or whatever you’re using to hold the ingredients above the water level. Steam on medium heat for about 25 minutes. Leave to cool slightly and then using the tips of your fingers, loosen each ‘horse’ from the sides of the bowl and gently slip them on to plates. Serve with rice and a simple broth.