also: せいろう
steaming basket; bamboo steamer
A wooden or bamboo frame with a reed base, placed over a pot to steam food. The square version is sometimes called 井籠.
Shumai warmed in a bamboo steamer is exceptional.
wickerwork tray for soba
A small wickerwork tray on which soba noodles are served, often called せいろそば.
母はせいろを使って野菜を蒸す。
My mother steams vegetables using a steaming basket.
Soba served on a wickerwork tray looks refreshing.
I ordered soba served on a wickerwork tray.
蒸し器 is a general term for any steaming vessel, while せいろ specifically refers to a traditional bamboo or wooden steaming basket.
ざるそば is soba served on a bamboo draining basket (ざる), often with nori seaweed; せいろそば is served on a wickerwork tray without nori.
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 蒸籠 and 蒸篭 are less common.
Kanji spelling; 蒸 means 'steam' and 籠 means 'basket'.
Variant kanji spelling using 篭 (simplified form of 籠).
Alternate reading; less common than せいろ.
Irregular kanji usage; specifically refers to a square basket.
Irregular kanji usage; variant of 井籠.
The reading せいろ is a contraction of せいろう. The kanji 蒸籠 literally means 'steam basket'. The alternate forms with 井 are ateji for a square basket.