The Ultimate Rice Cooker (41 page)
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the wheat berries steam for 15 minutes. Fluff with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. The wheat berries will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
wheat berry and wild rice pilaf
The combination of wheat berries and wild rice has been heartily embraced by the priests of spa cuisine. The inherent low calories and pure source of concentrated vitamins and minerals make the most delicious grain combinations. The wheat berries and wild rice both cook in the same amount of time. Serve with roasted meats.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular/Brown Rice
YIELD: Serves 6
½ cup wheat berries
½ cup wild rice
2¼ cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup chopped yellow onion
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon white Worcestershire sauce
1. Place the wheat berries and wild rice in the rice cooker bowl and add the stock.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter together over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until very brown, about 15 minutes. Add the vegetables to the grains along with the salt and Worcestershire; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular/Brown Rice cycle.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the pilaf steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or a wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
Cracked wheat is the whole, raw wheat berry that has been broken into pieces, while bulgur cracked wheat is made from whole wheat berries that have been hulled, steamed, and kiln-dried before cracking. We have found that plain cracked wheat is virtually impossible to find, but bulgur cracked wheat, a favorite in the popular tabboulé salad, is available in every supermarket. It is available in three grades, fine, medium, and coarse (known as grade C), with the supermarket variety being medium unless otherwise labeled.
Since the wheat berries have already been steamed, the cooking process is considerably shorter than for raw grains. The box gives instructions for simply soaking with boiling water, but cooking in the rice cooker makes for an even better, more tender grain. The rice cooker will automatically take into account the slight variables in cooking times among the different grades, so cooking is no fuss, and what emerges is a wonderful alternative to rice. Plain cooked bulgur has one of the most appealing flavors of all grains but is rarely served as a side dish. We have changed all that with this simple recipe.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular/Brown Rice
YIELD: About 2 cups; serves 3 to 4
1 cup bulgur cracked wheat
1¾ cups water
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1. Coat the rice cooker bowl with nonstick vegetable spray. Place the bulgur cracked wheat in the rice bowl. Add the water, salt, and olive oil; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular/Brown Rice cycle.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the bulgur steam for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This bulgur will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Serve hot.
Bulgur can be cooked using a number of techniques, as for a risotto, with plenty of liquid and, as for a pilaf, with the grain initially cooked in some fat before adding the cooking liquid. Be sure to use just plain old bulgur, not one of the seasoned pilaf mixes. You want to use a medium or coarse grade for pilafs, and a coarse grade for risottos.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular/Brown
Rice
YIELD: Serves 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or chicken fat
2 small white boiling onions, minced
2 cups bulgur cracked wheat
3¼ cups water or chicken stock
Pinch of salt, if needed
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook and/or regular/Brown Rice cycle. Place the butter in the rice bowl. When melted, add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 minutes. Add the bulgur and stir to coat and thoroughly heat the grains. Add the water and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular/ Brown Rice cycle or let the regular/Brown Rice cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the pilaf steam for 15 minutes. Fluff with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
All wild rice, our native North American grass, is sold with the bran on the kernel (like brown rice) and this gives it its black appearance; the water it cooks in will always be dark because of the rich bran layer. In California today, wild rice is mechanically farmed and harvested and then parched (a type of parboiling), which gives it a strong flavor. Labels will usually tell you if the rice is hand-harvested or cultivated, but the color will tell you immediately how it was grown: hand-harvested rice is distinctly matte (as opposed to shiny) in a range of colors from a ruddy red-brown, deep chocolate, and tan to a subtle gray-green, and paddy rice is very shiny sable black. Since the outer bran coat is very tough, it is scratched, or scarified, so that water is more easily absorbed. The more scarifying, the lighter or more variegated the grain and, hence, the shorter the cooking time.
Wild rice is available in bulk grain bins and small boxes in a growing number of super markets, natural food stores, and gourmet food shops in a variety of grades. Select wild rice contains short and broken grains; it is good for puddings. Extra-fancy wild rice has uniform, medium-size grains about ½ inch long graded equally in color and is the most commonly available wild rice. Giant wild rice (known as long-grain) has grains about an inch in length (or longer)
and is considered the premium grade. The cooking times for these grades are different because of the size of the grains, but that is not a problem when cooked in the rice cooker. All the grades taste the same.
Each brand of wild rice has its own particular taste, so if you have experienced a brand that was too husky or bitter for your palate, experiment with others, or use it in combination with other rices for a milder taste. Wild rice has a smoky, rich, nutty flavor, much like a strong herbal, woodsy tea; the darker the rice, the stronger the flavor.
This method of cooking the rice in a bit more than twice its volume of liquid is known as the Ojibway method, after a tribe of Native Americans who use the grain as a staple in their diet. The grain will swell and split slightly down the side, and some will curl like a butterfly. Do not rinse wild rice. While cooking, the liquid will look cloudy gray and sometimes have some foam. This is okay; it is part of the grain (the foam is the dusty by-product of the scarifying process). Wild rice is done when each kernel is swollen and cracked down the side. If a kernel has turned back, it has overcooked, although it is not unusual to have a percentage of these in every pot due to uneven cooking; we love the mixture of soft and chewier grains.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular/Brown Rice
YIELD: About 3 cups; serves 4
¾ cup wild rice
2 cups water, stock, or a combination of stock and dry white wine
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl. Add the water and salt; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular/ Brown Rice cycle.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, open the cover and stir to dissipate the heat to prevent overcooking. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 15 to 20 minutes. This rice will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot, or cool to room temperature and chill.
wild rice with dried cherries and scallions
The following three recipes feature wild rice and are designed to be served as side dishes. You can mix some cooked long-grain white or brown rice with the cooked wild rice to tone down the earthy flavor, if you so desire.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular/Brown Rice
YIELD: Serves 4 to 6
1 cup wild rice
2½ cups chicken stock
4 scallions, white parts and a few inches of the green parts, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup dried tart cherries
⅓ teaspoon seeded and minced fresh jalapeño chile (optional)
1. Coat the rice cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray or a film of vegetable oil. Place the rice in the rice bowl. Add the stock; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular/Brown Rice cycle.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, open the cover and stir to dissipate the heat to prevent overcooking. Scatter the onions, cilantro, cherries, and jalapeño, if using, over the top of the rice. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Stir with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon to combine the ingredients. This rice will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
wild rice and bulgur with leeks and toasted almonds
Once we discovered the extra-delicious property of bulgur, it ended up being added to all sorts of grains. Here wild rice and bulgur are cooked together with leeks and almonds, a winning, very French, culinary mating.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular/Brown
Rice
YIELD: Serves 8
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
5 small leeks, white parts only, washed well and thinly sliced
1½ cups wild rice
3⅓ cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup bulgur cracked wheat
1 cup boiling water
½ cup slivered blanched almonds
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular/Brown Rice cycle. Place the butter in the rice cooker bowl. When melted, add the leeks and cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the rice, stock, and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular/Brown Rice cycle or let the regular/Brown Rice cycle complete.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, cover the bulgur with the boiling water. Let stand on the counter to soften while the rice is cooking.
3. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
4. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast until just golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Re move from the sheet and set aside.
5. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, drain the bulgur, pressing to remove any excess liquid. Open the cover and stir in the almonds and bulgur, using a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Close the cover and let the grains steam for 15 minutes. This dish will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
wild rice with fennel and dried cranberries
This recipe has the wild rice cooked in a combination of chicken stock and cranberry juice. A great addition to Thanksgiving dinner!
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular/Brown Rice
YIELD: Serves 4
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons wild rice