Double steaming

Double steaming, also called double boiling, is a cooking technique to prepare delicate food such as , shark fins, etc. The food is covered with water and put in a covered ceramic jar and the jar is then steamed for several hours. This technique ensures there is no loss of liquid or moisture from the food being cooked, hence it is often used with expensive ingredients like Chinese herbal medicines.

In , double steaming is called ''dan'' . Note that the Cantonese usage of this Chinese character deviates from its original meaning which is simmer or stew in Mandarin. This technique is also common in the neighboring province of Fujian.

Famous examples

Cantonese cuisine is famous for its slow cooked soup.
One famous dish of this kind is called the ''Winter melon urn'' .
It is prepared by emptying the inside of a winter melon to make an urn. The outside of the winter melon is often carved with artistic patterns. The inside is then filled with soup ingredients such as Chinese cured ham, and several Chinese herbs. The whole urn completed with its original melon lid is double steamed for at least four hours. The flavor of the soup is soaked into the "flesh" of the melon. The whole melon and its content is brought to the dinner table. The soup is served by scooping out the liquid and the inside wall of the melon. In this case, the edible melon takes the place of the double steaming jar. This application is possible because winter melon has a waxy, and thus waterproof, rind. Winter melon is believed to be and it is seldom cooked with ingredients that are believed to be too '''' or too ''''.

There is another dessert dish called ''double steamed frog ovaries in a coconut'' , which is recommended for women. The Chinese medicinal ingredients , spices, and rock sugar are placed inside a young coconut to soak in the original coconut juice. The filled coconut is then double steamed for several hours. The whole coconut is served whole at the table after dinner. The contents and the inside wall of the coconut are scooped out to be consumed.

See also:

*Steaming
*Double boiler.