What Is a Steam Oven, and What Does It Cook in a Malaysian Kitchen?
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A steam oven cooks food with steam inside a closed oven, instead of in a wok or a steamer pot on the hob. In a Malaysian kitchen that covers a lot: steamed fish, steamed egg, pau and dim sum, kuih, steamed cake, glutinous rice and the rice for tonight. This guide explains what a steam oven does, how it differs from a combi oven and a steamer pot, and which local dishes it cooks better than the wok.
Quick answer
- What it is
- an oven that heats water from a tank into steam and fills the cavity with it, so food cooks evenly from every side.
- What it cooks best
- fish, egg, pau, dim sum, kuih, steamed cake, rice and vegetables, and reheating leftovers without drying them out.
- Steam oven or combi oven
- a combi oven steams and bakes in the same cavity. Every VATTI model with steam is a combi oven.
- Why not the wok
- nothing boils dry, no water drips onto the food, several trays cook at once, and the wok stays free for frying.
What is a steam oven?
A steam oven is a closed oven with a water tank and a steam generator. You fill the tank, choose a steam level and close the door. The oven turns the water into steam and fills the whole cavity with it, so the food is surrounded on every side rather than sitting over a pot of boiling water.
That is the difference from steaming on the hob. In a wok or a steamer pot, the heat comes from below, the water level drops as you cook, and condensation gathers on the lid and drips back onto the food. In a steam oven, the oven controls the steam, and there is no lid to drip.
Steam oven, combi oven or steamer pot?
| Steamer pot or wok | Steam oven | Combi oven | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it steams | Boiling water below the food | Steam fills a closed cavity | Steam fills a closed cavity |
| Can it bake and roast? | No | No | Yes, and steam and bake together |
| Space | One or two tiers | Several trays | Several trays |
| Watching it | Top up the water, check it has not boiled dry | Set and leave | Set and leave |
| Where it lives | On the hob | Built into the cabinets | Built into the cabinets |
A steamer pot (periuk kukus) is good for a quick plate of fish, but it ties up a burner and needs watching. A steam-only oven frees the hob but cannot bake. A combi oven does both in one cavity, and adds modes that use steam and dry heat together, which is why most built-in ovens with steam sold in Malaysia are combi ovens. Our guide to what a combi oven is explains the format in more detail.
What a steam oven cooks in a Malaysian kitchen
Steamed fish
Fish is the dish that sells most people on steam cooking. Steam on every side cooks a whole fish evenly from head to tail, so the thick part near the head is done when the tail is still moist. Cantonese style with soy, ginger and spring onion, and Malay style with lime and chilli, both start the same way: the fish on a plate, the plate on the tray, and the steam doing the rest. Our steamed fish recipe gives both styles, step by step.
Steamed egg
A smooth Chinese steamed egg (蒸蛋) is mostly about gentle, steady heat and no water dripping onto the surface. A lower steam setting and a closed cavity give you both, which is how you get a surface like glass instead of a honeycomb.
Pau, dim sum and kuih
Pau, siu mai, har gow, kuih seri muka, kuih talam and steamed cake (kek kukus) all need even steam for a set time. With several trays in one cavity, a whole batch cooks at once instead of in rounds on a stacked steamer, and the bottom tier does not overcook while the top one catches up. Our moist chocolate steamed cake is a good first bake.
Rice and glutinous rice
Both VATTI combi ovens have a steam rice function. Glutinous rice for lo mai gai, and plain rice when the rice cooker is busy, both work on a tray.
Vegetables and reheating
Steamed vegetables keep their colour and bite. For leftovers, steam brings rice, noodles and pau back without the hard edges a microwave leaves, though it takes longer. A built-in microwave is still the faster choice for a quick reheat.
Why steam in an oven instead of the wok
- It does not boil dry
- The oven controls the steam, so you are not topping up the water halfway through.
- No water dripping
- There is no lid gathering condensation over the food, which is what spoils a steamed egg and dilutes the sauce on a fish. It is on the VA06 spec sheet as "no water dripping".
- More at once
- A 70 L cavity takes several trays, so the fish, the egg and the vegetables can steam together.
- The wok is free
- While the fish steams, the hob is free for the stir-fry.
- It moves steaming to the dry kitchen
- Steaming makes little smoke or oil, so a built-in oven can sit in the dry kitchen at eye level. Our guide to the wet kitchen and dry kitchen explains which appliance goes where.
Steam and dry heat together
This is what a combi oven adds over a steam oven. Steam-grill roasts with steam in the cavity, so a chicken crisps outside and stays juicy inside. Steam-bake adds steam in the first minutes of baking, which gives bread its rise and a crisp, shiny crust. The VA06 lists steam grill and steam bake as combination functions, and the VA05 lists two combi functions.
What to look for in a steam oven
- Steam levels
- Different dishes want different amounts of steam. Both VATTI combi ovens have three: the VA05 has low, mid and high steam modes, and the VA06 has three humidity levels.
- Capacity
- A family steaming several dishes at once needs room for more than one tray. Both models hold 70 L.
- The water tank
- It sets how long the oven can steam before a refill. The VA06 has a 1.3 L tank.
- Cleaning and descaling
- Steam leaves water and, over time, scale. Both models have two auto clean functions, steam clean and heat dry, so the cavity is cleaned and dried rather than left damp.
- Auto menus
- Both have 68 auto cooking menus, which is the easiest way to learn the oven in the first week.
VATTI combi ovens with steam
| VA05 | VA06 | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 70 L | 70 L |
| Cooking functions | 12 (9 baking, 3 steam) | 11 |
| Steam levels | Low, mid and high steam | 3 humidity levels |
| Combination modes | 2 combi functions | Steam grill and steam bake |
| Air fryer | Yes | 2 air-fryer modes |
| Stew | Porridge, meat and soup | |
| Dual temperature control | Yes | Yes |
| Extras | Meat probe | 1.3 L water tank, no water dripping |
| Steam rice | Yes | Yes |
| Auto menus | 68 | 68 |
| Auto clean | Steam clean and heat dry | Steam clean and heat dry |
Choose the VA05 if you roast meat often: it has a meat probe and one more cooking function. Choose the VA06 if you steam and stew often: it adds three stew modes for porridge, meat and soup, and two air-fryer modes. Both are on the combi and steam oven page.
Steam oven FAQs
Is a steam oven the same as a combi oven?
No. A steam oven only steams. A combi oven steams, bakes and roasts in the same cavity, and can use steam and dry heat together. Every VATTI oven with steam is a combi oven.
Can a steam oven replace a microwave?
For reheating rice, noodles and pau, steam gives a better result because the food does not dry out. A microwave is faster, so many kitchens keep both.
Can you bake in a steam oven?
Not in a steam-only oven. A combi oven bakes like a normal oven and can add steam for bread and roasts.
Where does the water come from?
From a tank you fill before cooking. The VA06 has a 1.3 L tank.
How do you clean a steam oven?
Wipe the cavity once it has cooled and let it dry. Both VATTI combi ovens have a steam clean function that loosens grease and a heat dry function that takes the moisture out afterwards.
Final thoughts
A steam oven makes steaming something you set and leave, which suits a Malaysian kitchen where fish, egg, pau and kuih are steamed every week. If you also bake or roast, a combi oven does both in one cavity. Compare the VATTI combi and steam ovens, or find a dealer on our store locations page.
