Steaming

Steaming is a method of cooking where the food is set over boiling water and cooked in the steam given off. Place the food in a metal basket or in a steamer over a pot of boiling water. Cover the metal basket tightly and cook for the required time. Steaming is a popular cooking method for the diet conscious. Seafood and vegetables can be cooked by steaming.

Here I should mention a technique of cooking called ‘Dum’ which means ‘to steam’. In the olden days and some of my friends use this technique even now although my book does not call for this technique, it is worth a mention here. In this method the dish to be cooked is sealed with dough (atta) and is placed over a charcoal fire. The idea is to capture all the moisture as the food is cooked in its own steam thus retaining all its flavour and aroma. Some coal is also placed on the top to ensure even cooking. This method was adopted by my mother when she used to make Biryani in the absence of an oven. The invention of ovens has simplified this process. Now ovens are used to bake biryani.

In my book I have used steaming for making Mangalore sannas and for cooking fish for the fish fritters.

For the sannas, I have used a steamer/thondor (a kitchen utensil used in Mangalore for making sannas) which has a lid to contain the steam that is generated within. The steamer has two partitions which are separated by a removable circular perforated lid. In the lower section water is added. The items to be steamed are placed on the top of this perforated lid. The water is brought to a rolling boil. The sannas are steamed for the required amount of time.

For the fish fritters I used a wok and a bamboo steamer where the fish is steamed inside the bamboo steamer. The bamboo steamer is suspended over boiling water inside a wok. There should not be any liquid touching the steamer. The fish is cooked for the required amount of time.