The Ultimate Rice Cooker (21 page)
1.
Make the rice:
Coat the rice cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray or a film of vegetable oil. Place the rice in the rice bowl. Add the water; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
2.
Make the sauce:
In a medium-size sauce pan, combine all the sauce ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring a few times, until the mixture achieves a saucelike consistency. Cover and keep warm.
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, sprinkle the peas and chicken on top of the rice. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 20 minutes.
4. Transfer the rice mixture to a warmed serving platter with sloped sides. Pour the hot stock and peanut sauce over the rice. Stir gently to combine the peas and chicken with the stock and peanut sauce. Sprinkle with the green onion tops and peanuts. Serve immediately with a choice of condiments.
Donburi
is a Japanese dish that is served in a special oversized rice bowl of the same name. Once Beth discovered how much she loved Calrose and Tamaki Gold rices, she had to have a special simple little meal with which to eat them. Here is one of her best and fastest. If you use the chicken stock, you can add a small piece of kombu dried seaweed (cut an inch-square piece with kitchen shears), if you like. Mirin is a low-alcohol sweet cooking wine (of which there is also a non-alcohol version available) that you can find in the Asian food section of the supermarket.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 3
2 dried shiitake mushrooms (optional)
1½ cups (2 rice cooker cups) Japanese-style short- or medium-grain white rice (not Arborio or other risotto-style rice)
2 cups water (1⅔ cups for short-grain rice)
Pinch of sea salt
2 cups Dashi or chicken stock
3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine) or 3 tablespoons sake and pinch of sugar
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch strips
6 to 8 ounces firm tofu, cut into cubes Chopped green parts of green onions or minced fresh chives, for garnish
2 to 3 tablespoons toasted Japanese sesame seeds for garnish
1. Place the mushrooms, if using, in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 30 minutes. Or partially cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, remove the stems, and cut the caps into thin slices.
2. Wash the rice. Place the rice in a bowl (or use the bowl of your rice cooker) and fill the bowl about half-full with cold tap water. Swirl the rice in the water with your hand. Carefully pour off most of the water, holding one cupped hand under the stream to catch any grains of rice that are carried away with the water. Holding the bowl steady with one hand, use the other to rub and squeeze the wet rice, turning the bowl as you go, so that all the rice is “scrubbed.” The small amount of water in the bowl will turn chalky white. Now, run cold water into the bowl, give the rice a quick swish, and carefully drain off the water as before. Repeat the scrubbing and pouring-off process two more times. By the third time, the water you pour off will be nearly clear.
3. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl. Add the water and salt; swirl to combine. Close the cover and let the rice soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour. When the soaking period is finished, set for the regular cycle.
4. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Fluff the rice gently but thoroughly with a plastic or wooden rice paddle or wooden spoon. Close the cover and let the rice steam for another 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, poach the chicken. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the dashi, tamari, and mirin. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the chicken and mushrooms, if using, and cook, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. At the very end, toss in the tofu and let it heat for a minute or so.
6. When the rice has finished steaming, fluff it with the paddle or spoon again. Spoon the rice into individual bowls and top each with a portion of the chicken and tofu mixture. Ladle some of the poaching broth over the top and garnish with the greens and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
paella sauté with saffron and spanish rice
Beth’s dear friend and consummate food writer Rick Rodgers serves this dish to his own weekend guests. It has all the elements of a classic paella—rice, saffron, sausage, chicken, bell peppers—but is oh so much easier and so much quicker. It is adapted from his book,
On Rice
(Chronicle Books, 1997), and when we asked him what his favorite recipe was, this was it. We heartily agree.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 4 to 5
2 cups medium-grain white rice or Valencia medium-grain rice (not Japanese style)
2⅔ cups plus 2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon salt
3 ounces Spanish chorizo or other smoked sausage, such as linguiça or andouille, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch-long strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup frozen petite peas
1 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram leaves, crumbled
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1½ cups Fish Stock (
see
), or ¾ cup water and ¾ cup bottled clam juice
½ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
Hot pepper sauce
Chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, for garnish
1. Coat the rice cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray or a film of olive oil. Place the rice in the rice bowl. Add 22.3 cups of the water and the salt; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff the rice with a plastic or wooden rice paddle or wooden spoon. The rice will hold on Keep Warm for up to 4 hours.
3. While the rice is cooking, in a 12-inch nonstick skillet cook the chorizo with the remaining 2 tablespoons water over medium-high heat, stirring, until the water evaporates and the sausage is browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to drain on a layer of paper towels. Add the chicken to the skillet; cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes, then transfer the chicken to the paper towels with the sausage.
4. Add the olive oil to the skillet along with the shallot, bell pepper, and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the peas, oregano, and saffron.
5. In a small bowl, combine the fish stock, wine, and pepper flakes. Whisk in the cornstarch until dissolved. Pour this mixture into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Return the sausage and chicken to the skillet. Cook until the sauce has thickened and is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the salt and hot pepper sauce to taste.
6. To serve, portion the rice into shallow soup bowls and top with the sauté and a bit of the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
This is a home recipe from Elaine Corn and David SooHoo, owners of Bamboo Restaurant in Sacramento, California. “David’s mother makes a marinated fish that cooks right on top of the rice in the cooker,” said Elaine during one of our conversations about rice. She always uses Nishiki brand rice. “When my mother visits from Texas, she always carries back bags of Nishiki in her suitcase; they don’t have it available down there,” she adds. An excellent one-pot meal it is; perfect with a raw vegetable salad and steamed green beans or broccoli.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 3 to 4
About 1½ pounds fish fillets (red snapper, flounder, catfish, sole, or salmon)
MARINADE
2 teaspoons minced garlic or peeled and minced fresh ginger
3 green onions, sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons brandy or dry sherry
Pinch of sugar
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
RICE
1½ cups Japanese-style medium-grain white rice, such as Nishiki or Calrose
1¾ cups water
1. Break or slice the fish into 2-inch pieces. Place it in a shallow bowl or glass baking dish.
2. Make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients together and pour over the fish. Marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours (not overnight; the fish will get mushy).
3. Wash the rice. Place the rice in a bowl (or use the bowl of your rice cooker) and fill the bowl about half-full with cold tap water. Swirl the rice in the water with your hand. Carefully pour off most of the water, holding one cupped hand under the stream to catch any grains of rice that are carried away with the water. Holding the bowl steady with one hand, use the other to rub and squeeze the wet rice, turning the bowl as you go, so that all the rice is “scrubbed.” The small amount of water in the bowl will turn chalky white. Now, run cold water into the bowl, give the rice a quick swish, and carefully drain off the water as before. Repeat the scrubbing and pouring-off process two more times. By the third time, the water you pour off will be nearly clear.
4. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl. Add the water; swirl to combine. Place the marinated fish pieces on top of the rice in the water; pour in any leftover marinade. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
5. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
salmon stuffed japanese rice balls
Rice balls, called
onigiri
, are the sandwiches of Japan and a favorite portable food. They sport a variety of fillings, anything from tuna salad to an umeboshi plum. Tucked inside lunch boxes, briefcases, and backpacks, toted on picnics and car trips, rice balls are tasty, filling, nutritious, and cheap, and they hold up well for hours at room temperature. Flaked salted cooked salmon is perhaps the most popular filling. You can freeze salted uncooked salmon strips, individually wrapped. Then you can be ready to make
onigiri
anytime. There is no need to thaw the salmon strips before cooking them in the oven or micro wave. Our thanks to Atsuko Ishii for this tip for busy cooks.
Salt is key to two parts of this recipe, so use a good-quality fine sea salt instead of the kind that comes in the box with the girl with the umbrella on the front. You can find Japanese sea salt in plastic bags in Asian markets, or use French sea salt or fine sea salt from the health food store or gourmet market. (If you’re doubtful that it makes a difference, perform a side-by-side taste test. The mass-market salt is harsher.)
The Japanese technique of salting the salmon hours before cooking is used here. It flavors the fish and acts as a preservative and some say it diminishes any fishy taste. You can buy salmon already salted in Japanese markets, but it ís certainly easy enough to do at home. Salt plays another important role in
onigiri
. Before shaping the balls of hot rice, you will rub a bit of salt on your wet hands. The salt will melt and gently flavor the rice. While you might be a bit awkward at first with the shaping, it is a skill that develops rapidly with practice. Have fun! Salmon balls are eaten at room temperature.
Sushi nori are the square sheets of thin seaweed used for wrapping sushi rolls. You can find them on the shelf in Asian markets, large supermarkets, or health food stores.