The Ultimate Rice Cooker (27 page)
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
⅓ cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup long-grain white rice, such as Texmati or Uncle Ben’s converted
½ cup peeled and chopped fresh tomato
1¾ cups water (2 cups for Uncle Ben’s)
2 teaspoons pure ground chile or chili powder (we use Grandma’s)
½ teaspoon salt
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the oil in the rice bowl.
When hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring a few times, until it turns ever-so-slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato and sauté a bit longer. Add the water, chile, and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Serve hot.
The combination of rice and thin pasta in a pilaf has pure Middle Eastern roots and is the prototype for the commercial Rice-A-Roni mix. The secret is not to use too much pasta; just crumble some angel hair, vermicelli, or one little nest of pasta called a
fideo
. Beth’s friend graphic designer Cindy Lee still uses Rice-A-Roni in a pinch, a recipe she learned from her mother. “Well, you will laugh,” said Cindy when Beth asked her how she makes it. “You basically use either the family box or the regular box of Rice-A-Roni, dump the rice into the rice cooker bowl, and do not use the flavoring packet at all. Then, as my mom always taught me, add enough water up to your thumb knuckle; it should be about ½ inch of water above the rice.”
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil or bacon drippings
1 cup long-grain white rice
¼ cup vermicelli or 1
fideo
broken into 1- to 2-inch pieces
1¾ cups chicken or beef stock 1 teaspoon onion-flavored Mrs. Dash
seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter and olive oil in the rice bowl. When the butter is melted, add the rice and pasta pieces. Cook, stirring a few times, until the pasta turns golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, Mrs. Dash, salt, if using, and a few grinds of pepper; stir just to combine.
Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete. At the end of the cycle, the liquid should all be absorbed and the pasta tender.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Serve hot.
Mexico’s
sopas secas
—literally dry soups—are soft and comforting rice or pasta dishes, sometimes served as a first course, sometimes alongside the entree. You’ll notice that more liquid is called for in these recipes than in many other rice recipes. Generally speaking, broth is preferred over water. Also, the rice is always sautéed in oil before the liquid and flavorings are added. This technique produces a savory rice that is moist but not mushy. We’ve included a rainbow here—red (
rojo
), green (
verde
), and yellow (
amarillo
).
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup long-grain white rice
½ cup diced onion
¼ cup seeded and diced red or green bell pepper
½ cup diced carrot
One 14.5-ounce can chicken broth, 2¼ cups homemade chicken stock plus ¾ teaspoon salt, or 2¼ cups water plus ¾ teaspoon salt
Half of a 6-ounce can tomato paste (5½ tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
½ cup frozen peas
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the oil in the rice bowl. When the oil is hot, add the rice. Cook, stirring, until the rice turns opaque, about 1 minute. Add the onion, bell pepper, and carrot and cook, covered, until the vegetables soften and the rice begins to brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, pour the broth into a 4-cup glass measuring cup and add water to equal 2¼ cups. (Or place the homemade stock or water in a measuring cup.) Add the tomato paste and stir to dissolve completely. Add the black pepper. Add the broth mixture to the rice. Add the garlic and parsley; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, sprinkle the peas on top of the rice. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This dish will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
variation:
To make enough
sopa seca
to serve 8, use a large (10-cup) rice cooker and double everything except the liquid and oil. For 2 cups rice, use ¼ cup oil and 4 cups broth, water, or a combination of the two.
Mexican cooks use their electric blenders frequently, for sauces, moles, and, here, to pulverize herbs and spinach in a flash.
Verde
means “green” in Spanish. Don’t be intimidated by the amount of herbs called for; their flavor mellows substantially during cooking and creates a dish that’s perfect alongside grilled chicken or fish, or under a spicy stew.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup packed fresh Italian parsley leaves and small stems
½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves and small stems
1 cup packed spinach leaves
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup long-grain white rice
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Salt, if needed (omit if using canned broth)
1. Combine the garlic, parsley, cilantro, spinach, and 1 cup of the stock in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
2. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the oil in the rice bowl. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring a few times, until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, stirring a few times, until all the grains are evenly coated and hot, about 10 minutes. Close the cover and allow the rice to cook, stirring a few times, until it smells toasty and begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the herb and spinach puree, remaining 1¼ cups stock, the pepper, and salt to taste, if using. Stir well with a plastic or wooden rice paddle or wooden spoon. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
4. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Stir well to incorporate the puree. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
arroz amarillo (caribbean yellow rice)
This makes a pretty accompaniment for many meat and poultry dishes, and is also lovely for soaking up the juices from highly flavored baked fish dishes. Achiote paste is found in Latin markets; it is sold in small, plastic-wrapped bricks.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup long-grain white rice
½ medium-size yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon achiote paste, ¼ teaspoon Bijol seasoning, or ½ teaspoon turmeric
1⅔ cups water or light chicken stock
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt, if using unsalted chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Add the oil to the rice cooker bowl. When the oil is hot, stir in the rice and onion, close the cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is opaque and the onion has begun to soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, dissolve the achiote paste in the water, breaking it up with your fingers and stirring with a spoon. Be careful, it can stain. (Or stir the Bijol or turmeric into the water.)
3. Add the dissolved achiote to the rice along with the garlic and salt, if using. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
4. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, stir in the cilantro, if using. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Serve hot.
This is a complex, spicy rice pilaf: it has spices, a bit of coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, raisins, almonds, and green onions. These recipe proportions are designed for American jasmine rice; if you use imported Thai jasmine rice, decrease the total liquid (some stock and some coconut milk) by ⅓ cup. Serve with grilled or sautéed fish and poultry.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 cup domestic jasmine rice
1 tablespoon mild or hot curry powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock
⅓ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk (can be light)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Grated zest of 1 small lime
1 teaspoon Chinese hot chile sauce
Pinch of salt
⅓ cup dark raisins, dried tart cherries, or dried currants
⅓ cup slivered blanched almonds
½ cup minced green onions, both white and green parts
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter in the rice cooker bowl. When melted, add the ginger and rice. Cook, stirring a few times, until the grains are evenly coated and hot, about 10 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir.
3. Meanwhile, in a large measuring cup, combine the stock, coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice and zest, chile sauce, and salt. Add the stock mixture and raisins to the rice; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
4. While the rice is cooking, place the almonds on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 6 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool to room temperature.