The Ultimate Rice Cooker (29 page)
4½ cups water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
½ teaspoon ground coriander
2 cups zucchini cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 recipe Simple Indian Rice
Freshly ground black pepper
1¼ cups cold yogurt or sour cream, plain or with 1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger stirred in, for serving (optional)
1. Place the dal in a deep bowl, cover with cold water, and soak for 2 hours at room temperature. Drain well.
2. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the oil in the rice bowl. When hot, add the mustard seeds. With the cover open, cook until the seeds just begin to pop, no longer. Immediately add the turmeric, curry powder, asafoetida (if using), ginger, chile, lime juice, drained dal, and water (take care, in case of splattering). Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let cook for 45 minutes, until the dal is soft.
3. Add the salt, coriander, and zucchini. Adjust the consistency with some more water if you want a thin dal. Close the cover and cook for 15 minutes longer.
4. To serve, spoon the Simple Indian Rice into bowls and sprinkle with some black pepper to taste, then top with the dal and cold plain or ginger yogurt, if desired. Dal can be made the day ahead and reheated.
CLICK TO SEE WHAT IS DAL ?
MACHINE: Medium (6 cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
2 teaspoons sunflower or sesame oil
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup white basmati rice
1½ cups water
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the oil in the rice bowl. When hot, add the mustard and cumin seeds. With the cover open, cook until the seeds just begin to pop, no longer. Immediately add the rice, water, lime juice, 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, and add pepper to taste. This rice will hold on Keep Warm for up to 2 hours.
You will need a large (10-cup) rice cooker to prepare paella for 8; halve the recipe for medium (6-cup) machines. Don’t be tempted to make this without the saffron; it is essential. You can order it (rather) reasonably from Penzeys, the spice merchants. This paella, born in Julie’s kitchen, is a great dish for entertaining.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 8
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into ¾ -inch pieces
1 medium-size onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium-size red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips, the strips halved crosswise
1 cup seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes
2 ounces fully cooked smoked garlicky sausage (Spanish chorizo is traditional), sliced ⅓ inch thick
4 calamari (squid), cleaned, bodies cut into ⅓ -inch-wide rings, and each set of tentacles halved (about ⅓ cup total)
3 cups Arborio, Valencia, or other medium-grain white rice (not Japanese style)
5 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 11/2-inch lengths
½ cup small scallops
8 medium-size or large shrimp, shelled (tails left on) and deveined
½ cup frozen peas
8 small clams, washed in cold water to remove sand
1. In a small nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
2. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil to the rice bowl. When hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and tomatoes, stir to combine, and close the cover. Cook, stirring a few times, until the tomatoes break down and the bell pepper softens, about 10 minutes. Add the sausage, calamari, rice, chicken, water, salt, and black pepper; stir to combine. A pinch at a time, crumble the saffron threads into the rice bowl. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete. When the liquid boils (open the cooker occasionally to check, if yours doesn’t have a glass lid), add the green beans, stir quickly to combine, and close again.
CLICK TO SEE PAELLA
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, be ready to act quickly. Open the cover, toss in the scallops, and quickly stir them into the rice mixture. Place the shrimp around the border of the rice bowl, pressing them partway into the rice, so that their tails stick up. Sprinkle the peas over the entire surface of the rice. Nestle the clams about halfway into the rice, hinged sides down. Close the cover and let the paella steam until the clams open and the shrimp turn pink, about 15 minutes. Serve the paella immediately.
note:
If the clams do not open, perhaps there is not enough heat remaining in the rice cooker. Take them out and put them in a medium-size saucepan with about 1 inch of water. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. The clams should open in a few minutes. Throw out any that do not.
Here is an unorthodox, vegetarian, and much simplified version of the elaborate Spanish paella. It is an excellent side dish or vegetarian entrée.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) or large (10cup) rice cooker; fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
¼ cup olive oil
1 small dried red chile, broken
½ cup diced onion
½ medium-size red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and sliced
½ medium-size green bell pepper, halved, seeded, and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves, crushed between your fingers
1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
1 medium-size zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1¼ cups Arborio, Valencia, or other medium-grain white rice (not Japanese style)
1¾ cups vegetable or chicken stock
Few saffron threads, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup fresh or frozen petite peas
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the oil in the rice bowl. When hot, add the chile, onion, and bell peppers. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, paprika, zucchini, and tomatoes. Close the cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, stock, and saffron. Add the salt and black pepper to taste; 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, scatter the peas on top of the rice mixture. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This paella will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
There is no best recipe for
arroz con pollo
, or chicken with rice. Some feature yellow-tinted rice, some red, and, in some versions, the rice is not colored at all. Some are spicy with hot chiles; others are mild. Green olives and capers make their piquant appearance in many versions, especially those from Cuba or Puerto Rico. Some cooks use long-grain rice; others choose regular medium-grain or a risotto-type rice. Wine and beer are popular flavorings. Some versions of this dish are quite rich, with chicken skin, plenty of oil, and even bits of ham added. Ours is a deep yellowish red, accented with red bell pepper bits and bright green peas. Because we use skinless chicken and are careful with the oil, it’s relatively low in fat. The spicing is warm, not hot. We chose long-grain rice for its texture.
The yellow color comes not from saffron but achiote paste (
pasta de achiote
in Spanish). This is sold in a small brick form and is made from annatto seeds, which contribute a deep yellow color, as well as other spices. Achiote paste is available in Latin markets. The blocks we found were 3.5 ounces; we use about a quarter of one for this recipe. You cut or break off as much achiote paste as you need, then wrap the rest up airtight. If you can’t find achiote paste, you can try to find Bijol, a yellow coloring and seasoning that comes in a small red shaker. It contains annatto as well as food coloring. You don’t need much Bijol, maybe ½ teaspoon; add it when you add the liquid. If you are lucky enough to encounter annatto seeds themselves (try an Indian market if your local Latin market doesn’t carry them), you can make a brilliant yellow annatto oil by frying the seeds in a bit of vegetable or olive oil, then straining out the seeds. Use the oil to make the dish, and your rice will turn a lovely color without the use of artificial colorings. Or simply color the rice with turmeric, adding 1 teaspoon along with the liquid.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
Juice of 1 large or 2 small limes
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium-size red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch square pieces
2 cups long-grain white rice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup lukewarm water, plus more water as needed
About 1 tablespoon achiote paste (use less, 1 to 2 teaspoons, if you don’t want a warmly spicy dish)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes (or use canned, reserving their juices)
One 12-ounce bottle medium- or light-bodied beer
1 cup frozen peas