Bamboo steamer information/recipes, please.

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Katie H

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I was "grazing" in one of my favorite thrift stores yesterday and noticed a very, very nice bamboo steamer. I'm pretty sure it had never been used, so for the princely sum of $1.50 I bought it.

Does anyone have a bamboo steamer and what are your favorite ways of using your steamer? I'd love to hear them.

I've already washed and pre-steamed it according to instructions by Joyce Chen. Now I'm ready to use it.
 
I love my bamboo steamer & have had it for about 30 years now. Still going strong.

To tell you the truth, I use it almost exclusively for making steamed dim sum dumplings. Buy yourself a package of dim sum or wonton wrappers from the supermarket, pick up some ground meat (any kind) &/or seafood & veggies & go to town. I can't give you specific recipes right now because I don't have a light at my computer that would allow me to read, but can probably come across some tomorrow if you want specifics.

Basically, just mix, stuff, & steam. They don't take more than 15-20 minutes tops.
 
My friend gave me her bamboo steamer years ago. Sorry I got rid of it, as I didn't have the space. Mostly I made dumplings, and used my metal steamer over a dutch oven. Recently. I came across a recipe for steamed fish that I would have liked to make in the bamboo steamer. I will try to find the recipe I had in mind, but meanwhile, this looks pretty close:

Ginger-steamed fish with stir-fried vegetables - MediterrAsian.com
 
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I use mine for steaming veggies. I can do a ton of broccoli or asparagus or whatever in it.

I had a lime steamed chicken recipe at one time too. You make very thin slices of lime and place those on the bottom of the steamer then place the chicken on top of the lime. It was not my favorite recipe, but it was not bad.
 
WOW...I have a bamboo steamer that has been sitting. It was a gift. Do not use it. Do want to use it. Gone looking for recipes.
 
I bought one of those teriyaki pre-marinated pork tenderloins and steamed it in the top level with some sort of veggies in the bottom, can't remember now what they were. That tenderloin was so tender it was amazing! While grilling or pan-frying does impart a certain flavor from the caramelization but this was so wonderfully tender.

I will definitely check out those other recipes.

I also like to use mine to serve my shrimp. When I cook my shell on shrimp I add cut up limes, smashed cloves of garlic, chunks of carrots, whole spring onions, a few whole cloves, whole black peppercorns, Old Bay, and lots of beer, and I think that's just bout it. But I'll pour it in the bamboo steamer to drain and then serve in the steamer. I just like the way it looks :rolleyes:
 
Siu Mai

4 Dry Shiitake Mushrooms
1 Lb Pork
1 Lb Shrimp
1/4 C Bamboo Shoots
1 1/2 Tb Soy Sauce
1/4 C Chicken Broth
1 Tb Corn Starch
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
Pinch White Pepper
1 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
48 Ea Giosa Wrappers1

Reconstitute the mushrooms in chicken broth and squeeze them dry. Remove the stems and discard them.

Place all ingredients except the wrappers into a food processor and process to a coarse paste.

Refrigerate the paste and allow it to marinate for 3 hours or overnight.

Place a tablespoon of the filling into the center of a wrapper and bring the sides up, forming pleats around the edge. Leave the top open and the filling exposed. Tap the siu mai on the counter to flatten the bottom. The objective is for the finished product to approximate the appearance of a cupcake in a paper wrapper. The giosa wrapper taking the place of the paper wrapper and the filling being the cupcake.

Use a wok or pan with a steamer insert. Coat the bottom of the steamer with oil and place the siu mai into the steamer and steam for 15 minutes.

Serve with dipping sauce.
 
I NEED to get a bamboo steamer. I've been making Pork Buns a lot lately and need a simpler way to steam them for sure. Are there any good sites online that sell fair-priced steamers?
 
Gibson11 - simply do a websearch for "bamboo steamers" & you will be inundated by sources to buy them. Prices are usually $20 or under for the regular 10"-12" 3-tier set that's most popular & most useful.
 
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