A chinese double boiler is a small ceramic stewing pot used for slow cooking

The chinese double boiler is not a bain-marie or a double boiling sauce pan for melting cheese and chocolate.

This is basically a cantonese steaming pot. The cantonese (people from Hong Kong and province of Guangzhou) use this to double boil their beloved soups. It is believed to seal the nutrients and flavor of the ingredients in the soups.

Many chinese restaurants have big commercial steamers and they will prepare the soup ingredients in these small ceramic pots and leave them inside the steamers to steam and only remove before serving.

My sister, who is quite good at translation, told me that a more accurate translation should be a double boiling jar, not a pot. I agree. Although there are several sizes, the largest is still small in comparison to a soup pot.

Whether we call it a pot or jar, this soup making vessel has 2 covers: a small flatter inner cover and a bigger dome-shaped outer cover.

Basically all the prepared ingredients are placed in the chinese double boiler together with just enough water or soup stock to cover the ingredients.

The 2 covers are then placed securely on top of the pot. This results in minimum evaporation.

The jar is then placed inside a big pot half-submerged in water. Cover the pot and heat the water in the jar on medium heat or just sufficient heat so that the water does not boil over. The jar cannot be used directly on the stove top. It will break.

Soups cooked in these jars are usually served directly in them. So besides being a cookware, they double up as tableware. Small wonder that many have very nice and interesting designs. The one I have now have fishes hand painted using blue paint. Fish symbolises abundance, more than enough. And we chinese like a good symbol.

2009 Update!

Is this chinese double boiler difficult to locate in the US and UK? I am quite surprised because they are sold in so many places in Singapore.

If you really cannot find this little jar, then I would recommend substitution. Use a normal ceramic tureen with a cover, and steam it in a large pot. If you don't have a ceramic tureen, use a big ceramic bowl and cover it by wrapping aluminium foil over the top.

July 2009 Update!

Thanks to Jamieyn (see the comment she left below), we now know that the electric version of the chinese double boiler is available online and it is known as an electric stew / stewing pot. I am not sure it is an accurate translation as stewing to me always refer to a dish with gravy, not soup. But who cares as long as we can find the equipment we need.

The brand that Jamieyn is referring to is the Tayama Multi purpose cooker.