Double steaming is a common method used in Chinese cuisines to cook soup with ingredients that are expensive (e.g. bird’s nest, herbal soup). This is usually done in a ceramics jar or sometimes even in melons or coconuts which can have their content emptied out to contain the soup with its ingredients. The entire jar / content is placed inside a steamer to steam. The result is a bowl of soup that is well-flavoured and nutritious, both because none of the nutrients are lost due to the heat from the steaming, and also because (if using melon/coconut) the stock absorbs the essence from the melon and coconut which gives it an added layer of flavour. Additionally, the coconut / melon flesh becomes soft and easily scooped out together with the rest of the ingredients.
