The Ultimate Rice Cooker (48 page)
A Japanese cook may pour a splash of green tea over the rice, or nestle one of the tart pickled plums called umeboshi into the porridge, or top the bowl with something savory: seasoned shiitake mushrooms , homemade or purchased pickled or preserved vegetables such as cucumber, daikon, eggplant, or Napa cabbage, some thin shreds of the crisp seaweed nori (cut a sheet designed for wrapping sushi with a pair of sharp scissors), or some other tidbit from the pantry or the fridge. Another type of Japanese-style rice porridge, called
zosui
, is made with leftover rice.
A few slices of green onion are almost always scattered atop Chinese-style rice porridge. A Chinese cook of Mandarin heritage might set out a small array of toppings for plain porridge, anything from shreds of dried pork (called pork sung, it’s sold in plastic tubs in Asian markets) to pungent pickled or preserved vegetables (you’ll find a huge variety of these in jars in Asian markets) to the startlingly colored but absolutely delicious preserved eggs. To serve preserved eggs, peel as with hard-boiled eggs by cracking the shell all over by rolling gently on the counter. Remove the shell to reveal the black jelly-like “white.” Rinse the egg under cool running water and dry it. Slice the egg into wedges or chop it. Stir the egg into fresh porridge. One egg is enough for at least two people.
Cantonese-style porridge is often prepared with broth rather than water and frequently features savory ingredients cooked along with the rice. Pork with pieces of preserved egg is the type most commonly served at dim sum restaurants. One Cantonese restaurant near our homes has five porridges on their regular menu, featuring everything from aromatic and deeply flavorful roast duck to delicate seafood. We’ve included just one recipe here.
The rice cooker Porridge cycle makes perfect rice porridge, yet, because the feature is relatively new (it debuted in the fuzzy logic machines), even experienced rice cooker owners may never have tried it. “It is just the way I always make it on the stove,” one friend exclaimed in pleased amazement when we asked her to evaluate rice cooker porridge. As always, we recommend starting out with the proportions of water and rice recommended by the manufacturer of your rice cooker. If you like the consistency thinner, try using a bit less rice; if you like it thicker, use a bit less water. Write down the proportions you like best, but be sure not to use more water than the maximum amount of water recommended by the manufacturer for your particular machine. And be careful not to accidentally program your machine for the regular cycle. Either error will lead to a boil over. And try to eat rice porridge right after making it. As it stands on the Keep Warm cycle, it will thicken and grow starchy. Please note: These rice porridges
cannot
be made in the on/off machines.
What kind of rice should be used for porridge? Japanese-style short- or medium-grain white rice is the most common choice; it produces a smooth porridge that almost glistens. Long-grain white rice yields a somewhat rougher porridge. Sticky rice porridge is a bit chewier. Some cooks use a blend of two or all three. A tablespoon or two of sticky rice, if you have it, is a nice addition; just put it into your measuring cup before you fill it with short-, medium- or long-grain rice.
We have included some recipes here, but you should feel free to experiment. Just don’t add too much of any other ingredient: The rice should be the star.
Like saltine crackers and flat 7-Up, plain porridge is renowned as a get-well food in Asian and Asian-American families. Or dress it up by stirring in flavorful extras, such as Quick Pickled Cabbage (recipe follows), but Beth likes it just plain.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic only
CYCLE: Porridge
YIELD: Serves 2 to 4
¾ cup (1 rice cooker cup) Japanese-style short- or medium-grain rice
4½ cups water
Salt (optional)
1. 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.
2. Place the drained rice and water in the rice cooker bowl; stir gently to combine. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, stir the porridge with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Serve immediately, ladling the porridge into small bowls. Add salt to taste, if desired.
quick pickled cabbage
These one-day Japanese pickles are called
asa zuke
, or morning pickles, because they are easily made in the morning and served for that night’s dinner. They are a slightly crunchy accompaniment to plain porridge or to other dishes. This recipe makes enough pickles to eat with one recipe of Plain Rice Porridge.
2 cups Napa cabbage cut into ½-inch-wide strips
1¼ teaspoons sea salt
1. In a glass or other nonreactive bowl, mix together the cabbage strips and salt. Weight down the cabbage by placing a small plate inside the bowl. Top the plate with one or two 1-pound cans of food or other items weighing about 2 pounds. After about 15 minutes, remove the weights and stir the cabbage again. Return the weights and let the pickles sit for at least 6 hours at room temperature in a spot out of direct sunlight.
2. When you are ready to serve the pickles, drain them. If they are too salty for your taste, rinse them lightly in cool water.
quick pickled cucumbers:
Substitute 2 cups cucumber cut into spears about 3 inches long for the cabbage, and use only ½ teaspoon salt. If you are using American or other seedy cucumbers, scoop out and discard the seeds. Japanese cucumbers or other cukes with tender skins do not need to be peeled; if you are using American cucumbers, peel the skin entirely, or peel most of it away so that only thin strips remain.
rice and sweet potato porridge
Sweet potatoes are a wintertime fixture in Japan, where they are sold by vendors on the street. This recipe for an almost-plain porridge livened up with tender sweet potatoes comes from Julie’s friend Sharon Noguchi. If you are ailing, you’d want to eat this plain. If you’re not, you might like it with a sprinkle of toasted Japanese sesame seeds or green onion, or a drizzle of sesame oil.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic only
CYCLE: Porridge
YIELD: Serves 2 to 4
¾ cup (1 rice cooker cup) Japanese-style short- or medium-grain white rice
1 cup peeled and chopped sweet potato (chop the pieces about ¾ inch on a side; you will need about 1 small sweet potato)
5 cups water
Salt (optional)
1. 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.
2. Place the drained rice, sweet potato, and water in the rice cooker bowl. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, stir the porridge with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Serve immediately, ladling the porridge into small bowls. Add salt to taste, if desired.
savory rice porridge with shiitake and preserved egg
This is our interpretation of a Cantonese-style rice porridge. If you don’t like preserved egg, by all means leave it out.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic only
CYCLE: Porridge
YIELD: Serves 2 to 4
4 medium-size dried shiitake mushrooms
¾ cup (1 rice cooker cup) Japanese-style short- or medium-grain rice
5 cups chicken stock
1 medium-size carrot, diced
¼ cup shrimp, cooked or raw, shelled and deveined
¼ cup frozen peas
1 preserved egg (optional), peeled, rinsed, and cut into 8 to 12 wedges, the largest wedges halved
Salt and ground white pepper, if unseasoned stock is used
1 green onion, white and tender green parts, sliced, for garnish
1. Place the mushrooms 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 mushrooms, rice, stock, and carrot in the rice cooker bowl. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.
4. About 5 minutes before the cycle completes, open the cover and scatter the shrimp and peas over the porridge. (The time will vary according to manufacturer; experience will tell you how long the Porridge cycle is on your rice cooker, or on some models, there is a digital countdown for the final few minutes.) Close the cover and let the cycle complete.
5. Just before serving, add the preserved egg, if using, and season with salt and pepper, if needed; stir to combine. Serve the porridge immediately, topped with the green onion.
