Tiny Peas and Pearl Onions Steamed in Butter Sauce

Quickly prepare a versatile side dish from pantry ingredients.

4 oz frozen tiny peas
4 oz frozen pearl onions
1 T chicken or vegetable stock concentrate
1 t butter, cut into small dice
1 T water
1/2 t salt
1 t sugar
1 t tapioca starch

Thaw the peas in cold water and drain. Thaw the onions on a paper towel. Combine the vegetables in a shallow bowl, top with the seasonings, and sprinkle the starch over all. Steam for 4 minutes, mix with tongs and steam another 2 minutes, mix and serve. Serves two. Can be doubled.

Broccoli Steamed in Soy-Sesame Sauce

This dish is an adaptation of the same technique first applied with tender vegetables. Simply put, freshly-cut vegetables are seasoned, sauced, and steamed in a one-dish process. From improvised steamer to the table in a few minutes.

8 oz (250 g) broccoli crowns, cut into large florets
2 green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t dark sesame oil
1 t chicken stock concentrate
1 T water
1 t tapioca (or corn) starch

Arrange the vegetables in a flat bowl. top with seasonings, add water, and sprinkle on the starch. Hint: tapioca or corn starch in a shaker jar facilitates this step. Place into an active steamer. After 4 minutes, with tongs, cautiously toss the ingredients together. Continue steaming another 5 minutes or until tender. Toss again and serve. Optional: Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
 

Cauliflower Steamed in Butter Sauce

Cauliflower Ready to Steam

This recipe, developed along the same lines as an earlier one, yields two servings of tender cauliflower in a smooth, rich sauce in about 15 minutes.

8 oz (250 g) cauliflower, cut into large florets
1 T butter, cut into small dice
1 t chicken or vegetable stock concentrate (Better than Bouillon™ is good)
1 T water
1 t tapioca or corn starch

Prepare an improvised steamer. Put the cauliflower in a shallow bowl, dot with butter, add the stock concentrate, the water, and sprinkle on the starch. Put the bowl in the steamer for 5 minutes. Cautiously, lift the top, and with tongs, toss the ingredients. Steam another 5 minutes or until tender. Toss again and plate. Serves two.

Steamed Vegetable Combo

Developed February, 2020, the method quickly produces a side dish in a savory Asian-style sauce. Vegan or not.

8 oz assorted tender raw vegetables, cut into serving size pieces
1 t soy sauce
1 t roasted sesame oil
1/4 t fish sauce (omit for vegan)
1 t chicken or vegetable stock concentrate 
4 T water
1 t corn or tapioca starch

Pile the vegetables into a shallow bowl. For example, bok choy, spinach; bean sprouts, green onions, shallots, snow peas, sweet peppers, sweet onions, summer squash, enoki mushrooms, and the like work well. Drizzle on the seasonings and sprinkle on the starch. Place into an "improvised steamer". After four minutes of active steaming, cautiously lift the lid and, with tongs, toss the vegetables to coat with sauce. Cover and steam another four minutes. Remove from steamer, toss again, and serve. Serves two.

Steamed Then Shallow-Fried Potatoes

Pan-Fried Potatoes

Inspired by a similar dish served at Beachside Bistro in Kill Devil Hills, NC. They call them 'home fries'. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. Developed November, 2018.

12 oz (350 g) small red potatoes (about 1-1/4 oz or 35 g each)
vegetable oil
1/4 t (1 ml) granulated garlic
2 t (10 ml) dry rosemary
1 t coarse salt
1/4 t freshly-ground pepper

Steam the potatoes for 8 to 10 minutes until a paring knife goes in easily half-way. Spread on a kitchen towel and let cool and dry. When cool, quarter the potatoes. Heat 1/4 inch (5 mm) vegetable oil in a 10-inch heavy non-stick skillet to 375 degrees F (190 C). Cautiously, add the potatoes. Fry the potatoes, maintaining the temperature above 325 F (163 C), turning them occasionally. When browned and crispy on all sides, lift them from skillet with a spider, tongs, or a slotted spoon to a serving bowl. Toss with the seasonings and serve immediately. Serves 2 or 3.

Steamed Broccoli

The steaming method produces a tender, bright-green product but avoids a water-logged, mushy vegetable that can easily result when boiling is used.

10 oz (300 g) fresh broccoli
2 T (30 ml) low-fat margarine or butter
1 t (5 ml) salt
2 T (30 ml) lemon juice

Trim away the tough base and cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Place in a shallow bowl and top with salt, lemon juice, and the fat. Place into a steamer, cover tightly, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, testing for doneness when the tip of a paring knife penetrates easily. Toss to distribute the flavorings and serve in the bowl it was steamed in.

Improvised Steamer for Plates and Shallow Bowls

Folding Steamer Basket with Handle Removed

Recorded January, 2016. Used for decades in our kitchen to prepare dim sum appetizers, fish, seafood, meat, vegetables, hard-cooked eggs, and even huevos rancheros. Steaming offers many advantages: Hands off cooking, no risk of drying out or burning the food, energy efficiency, retains juices and nutrients. Bowl lifters are available online for a modest sum. They make handling hot plates much safer and secure. 

10 inch sauté pan with tight-fitting cover
Stainless Steel Collapsible Steamer Basket (available online or in specialty stores)
water

Add water to a depth of 2 cm (3/4 inch), remove handle from basket, spread open in the pan, and cover. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Carefully place a plate or shallow bowl with food on it, and replace the cover. Lower heat to medium to maintain good steaming. Most dishes require 8 or more minutes. To safely remove a dish, lift the cover toward you so steam will vent away from the cook, and set aside. Using a spatula, tongs, or bowl lifter, carefully remove the plate or bowl and serve.

Ingredient: Using Steam to Hard Cook Eggs

Cooking eggs with steam rather than boiling water offers many advantages. It's faster, more reliable, more energy efficient, and versatile. Steaming works as well for one egg or many. By starting cold, eggs rarely crack open. Even very fresh eggs peel easily. Developed Summer, 2015.

eggs
steamer basket
ice bath

Arrange a steamer basket, with the central handle removed, in a large sauté pan with a tight fitting lid. Add water to a depth of 3/4 inch (2 cm), place raw eggs in the basket, cover, and bring to a rapid boil. Reduce the heat to medium and steam 14 minutes. With tongs, remove each egg to an ice-cold bath, adding ice as necessary. After 1 minute, gently crack the egg shells all over. This will let water seep in between the shell and the egg. Return to the cold bath for 15 minutes to firm up. Under running water, lift away the shells, dry the eggs, and store cold, covered. Perfect for a quick nourishing snack or for egg salad.

Pork Ribs Steamed in Black Bean, Garlic, and Ginger

Developed February, 2015 from a recipe in ‘Chinese Cookery Secrets’. Steamed foods never dry out.

1 lb (450 g) pork spare ribs, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
2 t (10 ml) corn or tapioca starch
1/2 t (3 ml) sugar
1 T (15 ml) fermented black beans (dou-chi, 豆豉) soaked in water and drained
1 large garlic clove
1 t (5 ml) grated fresh ginger root
2 T (30 ml) soy sauce
1 t (5 ml) dark sesame oil
pinch crushed red pepper
toasted sesame seeds or shredded green onions (optional garnish)

Place the ribs in large shallow bowl, sprinkle on the corn starch and sugar, toss to coat evenly. Mince the black beans, garlic, and ginger together, combine with the meat, along with other ingredients. Toss until the ribs are evenly coated. Spread in a single layer in the bowl and steam for 40 minutes, until tender. Combine the ribs and sauce and garnish as desired. Serves 3 or 4 as part of a Chinese meal.

Fish Steamed in Ground Bean Sauce, Scallions, and Ginger, Chinese style

First prepared in Seattle, 1968, from a recipe book published by a Victoria, BC grocery. Steaming is a traditional method in Chinese cuisine. Its many virtues include fuel economy, protection from drying and over-cooking, speed, and conserving nutrients. Any Asian grocery stocks (in jars or cans) ground (brown) bean sauce. It is salty and savory but not spicy.

12 oz fish filets (flounder, tilapia, catfish, pollock, cod, or similar fish)
1/4 c (60 ml) ground (brown) bean sauce
4 to 6 scallions (green onions), cut in half lengthwise
2 t ginger root, peeled and finely diced

Arrange the fish in a single layer in a dish with deep sides to capture the flavorsome juices formed during cooking. Spread the bean sauce, and distribute the scallions and ginger artfully. Steam for 15 to 25 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets. Serve with steamed rice, topping each serving with the pan liquor and the aromatic vegetables. Serves four, as part of a family-style meal.

Steamed Chinese Meat Cake

Recorded from memory December 11, 2013. Not often encountered in Chinese restaurants in the US, steaming is widely used by home cooks in China. DrDaddy first prepared this dish in Seattle in 1968, following a simple cookbook, now lost. Reminder: save and dry the skin from your next tangerine.

1 lb pork shoulder
small can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
1 T dry tangerine skin, soaked, pith removed, and finely chopped
1/4 c chopped pickled vegetable (cabbage, mustard, salt turnip, or the like)
1 t garlic, minced
2 T corn starch
2 T soy sauce
1 t dark sesame oil

Cut meat into large cubes and freeze 30 minutes. With a heavy cleaver on a cutting board or with a food processor chop the meat until it is coarsely but completely minced. Put meat in a shallow bowl, and mix in the other ingredients, and press into a compact cake that fills the bottom of the bowl. Cut down with a knife to form six wedge-shaped slices to make it easier to serve. Place the bowl in a steamer for 20 to 30 minutes until done. Use a pot with a steamer insert or a bamboo steamer in a wok. Cut into serving pieces and top each serving with pan juice. Serves six as part of a Chinese meal.

Butter-Steamed Eggs

Butter-Steamed Egg on 
Cheese-Onion Grits with Fried Apples

Recorded August 25, 2011.

1 or 2 eggs
1 t butter

Heat a heavy 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan. When the foaming stops and the butter has colored a bit, crack in the eggs, careful not to break the yolks. Cover tightly immediately and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook covered 2-1/2 to 3 minutes. White should be soft set and the yolks cooked but still runny. Plate immediately and finish with freshly-ground pepper and sea salt. Serves 1. Variation: serve atop a mound of creamy, savory grits or cheese-onion grits. Fried apples complement the dish nicely for a satisfying vegetarian meal.

Riced Yellow Potatoes

Recorded February 28, 2010. Transcribed and modified from the video recipe on Cook's Illustrated PBS TV program.

4 to 5 medium yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold™, or similar)
1/2 c hot half and half
1/4 c low-fat soft margarine
salt and pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and cut into eight equal parts. Place in the basket of a steamer over boiling water and cover tightly. Steam vigorously for 20 to 25 min, until potatoes are soft to the tip of a sharp knife. Transfer to a potato ricer (see NOTE), and rice into a mixing bowl, batch by batch. Stir with a spoon, pouring in the hot cream (hot promotes a creamy and not grainy texture according to Alton Brown). Keeps it hot too of course. Mix until well combined. Add the margarine and keep stirring. Season to taste and whip by hand until smooth.
NOTE DrDaddy also likes the ricer identified in tests at America's Test Kitchen as the best around. RSVP™ International SPUD Potato Ricer 13.5-in