How can I adapt rice cooker steamed fish to cooking in a pot?

Question

I have seen steamed fish dishes where the fish is cooked on top of the rice in a rice cooker. I'd like to try this, but I don't have a rice cooker and always cook my rice in a pot. Does anyone know how to adapt this style of cooking to work in a pot?

My usual method of cooking rice is as follows:

• 2 c basmati rice
• 2.5 c water

Bring to boil, then turn down to minimum and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand (leaving lid on) for 10 minutes.

So would this method be similar to how a rice cooker works? When would I add the fish?

To clarify: I'm looking to cook the fish directly on top of the rice while it's steaming, like you could do in a rice cooker. If possible I'd like to do this without any additional cooking equipment.

Answer 1

Easy! I steam fish about 1x per week with a bamboo steamer. You need to take advantage of the steam rising from the pot which can steam your fish in exactly the same way as the rice cooker - so you get a Bamboo Steamer like this one (available in tons of different places, including cooking-supply stores, Asian Foods stores, etc): http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Deluxe-3-Piece-Bamboo-Steamer/dp/B00005EBH8

This steamer is basically open at the bottom (with bamboo slats) so you set this on top of the boiling pot, and it fills with steam, cooking the fish. It's recommendable that you wrap the fish in wax paper (I use baking paper in a pinch) and that will keep it from sticking to the bamboo.

Hope this helps! I recommend buying a bamboo steamer like this one - it's a common kitchen item that you can use for a ton of steaming - i.e. veggies, broccoli, fish, etc. No need to even be cooking rice - you just place this over a pot of boiling water, and it works great!

Answer 2

Cook the rice in the normal way, then halfway through the cook add your fish directly on top of rice with whatever sauce or spices.

Answer 3

Idk why people think it can't be done in a pot, but can only be done in a rice cooker. I mean how did they cook rice before the electronic rice cooker was invented? I'm sure they didn't have 6 and 8 range burners, anyways I digress.

Depends on the size (mainly thickness) of the fish. Rice typically takes 20 minutes to cook/boil, then a 10-15 minute steam. Though the during the steam period the temperature is decreasing.

I suggest experimenting with:

A) Wrapping the fish (bamboo, lily, or banana leaf - parchment paper would work too) and placing above the boiling rice/water.

B) Alternatively use a trivet to keep the fish above water and allow the steam to cook the fish. If you have the three legged stainless steel rack style trivets then a plate or dish will be needed to hold your fish onto. Instead of the collapsible types that open like a flower.

Note: when you cook your rice normally, instead of removing from the heat you can keep it on a low heat for the 10 minutes, or switch heat off and leave on the stove or a hot surface. This should keep more heat in if you need to.