The Ultimate Rice Cooker (66 page)
6. Fifteen minutes before cooking the rolls, fill the rice cooker bowl one-quarter full of water, close the cover, and set for the regular cycle. If the water boils before you are ready to steam the flower rolls, flip the switch to the Keep Warm position (and switch back for cooking), but you want a vigorous boil with lots of steam for cooking these.
7. Place the steamer baskets over the boiling water in the cooker and close the cover. Set a timer for 20 minutes and steam until the rolls are puffy and dry to the touch. When done, remove the cover quickly so that no drops of water drip into the baskets, and remove the baskets from the cooker. Using a spatula, transfer the flower rolls to a wire rack or serving platter, if serving immediately.
8. If not serving immediately, let cool completely on the racks and store in plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, steam the cold rolls for 7 to 10 minutes or microwave for a few minutes on high. Eat immediately.
This is a most extravagant dim sum! These fragrant and savory packets are rustic in appearance, thanks to their all-natural covering: dried lotus leaves, which can be purchased in Chinese markets. Lotus leaves are surprisingly large, especially when you realize that in the package, they are folded in half! Some people never cook sticky rice (glutinous rice, also called sweet rice) in their rice cookers, believing it must be steamed in a tray over boiling water for the best texture. This is generally true, but in this case, the rice is mixed with so many other ingredients that we feel it is all right. If you wish, feel free to steam the soaked rice in a cheesecloth-lined steamer tray for about 25 minutes instead of using the rice cooker. Dried shrimp has a rather strong flavor; if you don’t like it, use ¼ pound shelled fresh shrimp instead, adding it to the skillet when the chicken is almost cooked. Chinese dried sausages are available in Asian markets; use another cooked sausage (like kielbasa) if you can’t find them. If you can’t find dried chestnuts, and don’t feel up to shelling fresh ones, you can leave them out. They are a frill, though a tasty one. Making these is a bit of a production, like making tamales. Also like tamales, these freeze well. Reheat in a steamer or in the microwave.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 6 to 12 as an appetizer or snack
2¼ cups (3 rice cooker cups) sticky rice
2¾ cups water
6 lotus leaves
2 tablespoons dried shrimp or ¼ pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
¼ pound boneless, skinless chicken (about ½ breast or 1½ thighs), trimmed of fat
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (available in Chinese markets) or medium-dry sherry
1¼ teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
10 dried chestnuts (available in Asian markets) or cooked and peeled fresh chestnuts (optional)
1 to 2 ounces Chinese dried sausage (about 1 sausage) or cooked smoked sausage such as kielbasa
½ cup diced ham
1 green onion, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced
¼ cup grated carrot
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper or freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1. Up to 4 hours ahead and at least 1 hour ahead, wash the rice in a bowl or strainer until the water runs almost clear. Place the rice in the rice cooker with the water. Let the rice soak for 1 to 4 hours.
2. At the end of the soaking time, set the rice cooker for the regular cycle. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir the rice gently but thoroughly with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Hold the rice on Keep Warm until you are ready to use it.
3. One hour ahead, soak the lotus leaves in hot water. They are large and you may have to do this in a large stockpot or a scrubbed and well-rinsed sink. Let them soak for 1 hour.
4. Half an hour ahead, put the dried shrimp in a small cup or bowl with hot water to cover. Let the shrimp soak for 30 minutes, then drain and coarsely chop.
5. Cut the chicken into 3.4-inch cubes. Place it in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the wine, ¼ teaspoon of the sesame oil, the garlic, and ginger; stir to combine. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes.
6. Place the dried chestnuts in a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil them for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cut into quarters. Slice the sausage about ¼ inch thick. If you are using kielbasa or another thick sausage, cut the slices into half-moons.
7. Transfer the rice to a large bowl. Wash out the rice cooker bowl and fill it one-quarter to one-third full of water, close the cover, and set for the regular cycle. If the water boils before you are ready, flip the switch to the Keep Warm position.
8. Coat a small nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken with its marinade to the skillet and stir-fry until it is just barely cooked through. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the rice. Add the sausage to the skillet and stir-fry until it gives up some of its fat. Transfer the sausage to the bowl and add the ham, green onion, carrot, and remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons wine, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Stir gently with a plastic or wooden rice paddle or wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, with salt, pepper, soy sauce, wine, or sesame oil.
9. Prepare a large work surface. Lift the lotus leaves carefully out of the soaking water. Open them carefully and cut one in half along the fold line. Place a lotus leaf half on your work surface, green side down, rounded side facing away from you. Put about ½ cup of the rice mixture in a small mound in the center of the leaf. Fold in first one side, then the other. Then fold the bottom and roll up the leaf into a small square or rectangular packet. Some people tie the packets with twine, but this isn’t necessary if you handle them carefully. Place the packet seam side down on a plate. Repeat with the remaining lotus leaves and filling.
10. Stack as many leaves as you can in your steamer basket or tray, resting them seam side down or leaning them against each other so they don’t unwrap. (We can fit 6 lotus leaf bundles in one steamer tray.) Place the tray over the boiling water in the rice cooker and close the cover. Steam for 30 minutes. Remove the bundles with tongs.
11. Unwrap the bundles to eat the sticky rice; the leaf is not edible.
DOLMAS
Dolma
translates from the original Arabic as “something stuffed.” While this word can refer to anything stuffed, from a vegetable to a fruit, the most recognizable dolma is rice-stuffed grape leaves braised in a lemony bath. Dolmas are a very popular little bite in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines.
Grape leaves make a flavorful wrapper. Consider them as a Mexican cook regards a corn husk, a Thai looks at banana leaves, the Polish look at cabbage, and the Japanese cook looks at seaweed. Grape leaves end up clinging to the foods they envelop, lending a special flavor. You can buy jars of commercially preserved grape leaves in brine or, if you have access to a vineyard or a lone grape vine in your backyard, preserve your own. Use fresh ones in spring and summer and your preserved canned leaves during the winter.
While many dolma fillings contain lamb or lentils, this recipe has a great rice, vegetable, herb, goat cheese, fruit, and nut filling. No matter what filling you decide on, this is the basic procedure to use for preparing the grape leaves and filling and steaming them.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off or fuzzy logic
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: 28 dolmas; serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer
CLICK TO SEE YOUR OWN PRESERVED GRAPE LEAVES
RICE
¾ cup basmati rice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup water
Pinch of salt
One 4-inch cinnamon stick
¼ cup dried currants
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves or dill
Grated zest of ½ small lemon
3 tablespoons pine nuts or chopped blanched almonds,
toasted
DOLMAS
1 jar (35+ loose leaves) grape leaves
5 ounces goat cheese
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges or cold plain yogurt, for serving
1. Place the rice in a fine strainer or bowl, rinse with cold water two to four times, and drain. The water will be chalky and slightly foamy. Spread the wet rice out with your hands on a clean tea towel on the counter. Let air-dry for at least 1 hour, until cooking time.
2.
Make the rice:
Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the olive oil in the rice cooker bowl. When hot, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until all the grains are evenly coated and hot. Add the water, salt, cinnamon stick, and currants; stir just to combine. Close the cover and let the rice complete the cycle. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes.
3. Rinse the grape leaves under cold running water and drain on layers of paper towels. With kitchen shears, cut off the stems. Set aside.
4. Open the cover, remove the rice bowl, discard the cinnamon stick, and fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Stir in the parsley, mint, lemon zest, and pine nuts.
5.
Make the dolmas:
To fill, place a perfect leaf, shiny side down, rib side up, on your work surface. Place a tablespoon of the rice mixture and a piece of goat cheese (about ½ teaspoon) on top in the center of the leaf. Fold the sides in as for an envelope and roll up jelly-roll fashion to make a small, plump cylinder. If you have any tears, snip off a lobe and patch from the inside. Fill all the leaves in the same fashion. You will have enough filling for about 28 leaves.
6. Wash and dry the rice cooker bowl and return it to the machine body. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and line with the extra grape leaves, in an overlapping pattern. Place the dolmas in a single layer, seam side down and close side by side, on the bed of grape leaves. Add a second layer of dolmas.
7. In a measuring cup, combine the water, olive oil, and lemon juice. Pour over the dolmas in the rice cooker; the liquid should not come more than halfway up the sides (you may have extra). Close the cover and set for the regular cycle. After the cooking liquid comes to a simmer, cook the dolmas until they are firm to the touch and the leaf is tender when cut in half, 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Remove the cover carefully and let the dolmas cool slightly.
9. Serve the dolmas warm or at room temperature, with lemon wedges or plain yogurt. Or let them cool, place in a flat covered container, refrigerate overnight, and serve chilled or at room temperature.
dolmas stuffed with lamb, rice , and almonds
This is a hearty version of the ever-popular stuffed grape leaves, made slightly sweet by the addition of raisins. We like to serve it with tart plain yogurt for balance. Because these dolmas are made with raw meat and rice, they are not steamed but cooked in water to cover.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off or fuzzy logic
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: About 35 dolmas; serves 8 to 10 as an appetizer, 6 as a main dish
FILLING
1 pound lean ground lamb
½ cup long-grain white rice
¼ cup minced onion
½ cup dark raisins