Simple Cooking in a Bamboo Steamer

I love cooking in my bamboo steamer.  One of the coolest things about this steamer is that you can use it on almost any type of stove- a portable gas stove, an electric stove, an open pit, etc.  As long as you have a well- fitted pot on which to perch it, you're good to go.

Start by finding a wok or pot in which your steamer  fits well.  It should lay perfectly on top of the rim of the wok.  Fill the wok to appximately 2/3  with water.  Make sure that when the water boils, it doesn't touch your food in the lower steamer.

 

 Place the first level of the steamer on the wok.

 

Add a steamer cloth (or  lettuce leaves) to keep the food from sticking to the steamer.

Add your heavier foods (those that take longer to cook).  I put my sweet potatoes in the lowest rack and the broccoli above 

Cover the food and bring the water to a boil.  Reduce the heat for a steady low boil and watch your water to make sure that you don't burn your steamer.  If you hear sizzling, you need to add more water if the food requires additional cook time.

 The broccoli was ready first so, I carefully removed the top rack and replaced the lid over the sweet potatoes.

 

 A nice wooden plate over the broccoli, keeps it warm until the sweet potatoes are ready.

 The aroma from the sweet potatoes reveal that they're almost ready.

Test with a fork.  Yep, they're ready.

 Unfortunately, the brown rice isn't ready- forgot to hit the steamer button.  Oh well, I probably didn't need the extra carbs anyway.  So, we'll have to settle for this simple meal- Broccoli, sweet potato and stewed chicken breast.