Death by Sauna

it's been a while since i last posted.  was caught up with work for a few weeks and following that i took a short break, during which i tried to cook.  unfortunately i bit off more than i could chew and forgot about keeping things simple - i tried to do a masterchef and debone a chicken. on paper it looked great, roast the meat and use the bones for soup, but the level of technical ability was beyond me and wasnt in line with "keeping things simple" which is what this blog is all about.  anyhow, i will try it again if i ever do level up enough one day :)

so back to keeping things simple, steaming fish is really a no-brainer, which makes it very suitable here :) all you need is a fresh fish, something to remove the fishy odour, plus condiments for taste.  i did some basic research and kept to the familiar - steaming chinese style!  even under this, there is the cantonese and teochew style.  the canto style uses a soy-based sauce and hence is usually savoury, while the teochew style uses plums and hence is more sour.  The Food Canon has a really good post on this.  It also contains more other useful recipes and hence is going straight into my link page.



Keeping it simple, quick and cheap, here is what i did:

What You Will Need
For the fish
1 fresh fish (i used a promfret) - they are cheaper in the evening when the supermarkets mark down prices
6 stalks of spring onion (both white and green parts)
Ginger (a 3 inch chunk will do)

For the Sauce
1 tsbsp light soy sauce
1 teasp seasame oil
4 tbsp water
White pepper

Getting Ready

• Make 3 diagonal incisions along the flesh of the fish to expose maximum surface area for steaming. most important to make this cut at the thickest portion of the fish and cut until you hit the bone
• Slice the ginger and white part of the spring onion into about 5cm slices.  Lightly crush the slices so that the juices can come out easier
• stuff the half of ginger and spring onion into the cuts. with the remaining half, line the bottom of your steaming plate to prop up the fish.  this allows the steam to be cooked from both sides
• and thats it! time to steam, and while waiting, its a good opportunity to prepare the sauce

A Steamy Affair

• Get some water boiling in a wok and place the steaming plate into the wok, on top of a steaming rack.  Place a lid over the wok for about 15 minutes (varies with the size of the fish)
• Mix the sauces together and keep on light heat until the fish is cooked
• After 15 minutes, use a fork to check if the fish is cooked.  it should flake off easily
• Prepare the garnish: Slice the green part of the spring onion into about 3 cm slices and slice along the onion to slice them into halves.
• Thinly slice some ginger (this is known as julienne) and fry in a wok with hot oil until fragrant.
• Place the spring onion and ginger on top of the fish, pouring the sauce and remaining hot oil over the fish

The Verdict

What can i say.  Easy to cook, and absolutely delicious.  i like the texture of promfret and the spring onion + sauce gave an extra kick.  Add some rice wine before steaming for an added dimension.  Highly recommended for fuss-free cooking, especially if you are preparing a multi-course meal :)

Will attempt a more complex western style steaming somewhere down the road too!

Prep time:5 Minutes.  Cooking Time: 15 Minutes.  Price: $3 for a fresh promfret ($1.50 on discount). Spring onion + ginger <$1 each