Perhaps no other cooking technique is as emblematic of Southeast Asia as steaming. Everywhere we visit, we see metal and bamboo steamer baskets stacked high and cooks shrouded in clouds of hot, enticing-smelling vapours. We’re suckers for steamed whole, fresh fish or nuggets of minced pork wrapped in banana leaf. Simmering also provides us with some of our most loved dishes, including the fabulously lip-smacking five-spice pork hock from Thailand.