The Ultimate Rice Cooker (18 page)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup finely chopped red onion
½ cup fresh or frozen English peas
½ cup fresh or frozen (and thawed) corn kernels
1. Place the rice in a fine strainer or bowl, rinse with cold water twice, and drain twice.
2. Coat the rice cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray or a film of vegetable oil. Place the rice in the rice bowl. Add the remaining ingredients; stir just to combine. Cover and set for the regular cycle.
3. 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 rice will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
greek lemon and dill rice with feta
The Greeks have a culinary love affair with the mating of lemon and dill, two plants that have been used since antiquity (lemon trees were planted along the Tigris and Euphrates Valleys). Dill is native to the eastern Mediter ranean and contains a flavor element called limonene, which is a natural flavor complement to lemon. In Greek cooking, you find this combination in everything from soups to meat dishes. Rice is no exception. The mint is an optional ingredient, but a traditional one. This dish is also good made with brown rice; if you use it, increase the amount of chicken stock to 2⅔ cups.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 3 to 4
1½ cups long-grain white rice, such as basmati, Jasmati, Carolina, or jasmine
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small white boiling onions, chopped
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dillweed
1½ teaspoons minced fresh mint leaves or ½ teaspoon dried mint leaves, crumbled
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
1. Coat the rice cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray or a film of olive oil. Place the rice in the rice bowl. Add the stock; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes.
3. While the rice is steaming, in a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until translucent and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown (it won’t take long).
4. When the steaming period is finished, add the sautéed mixture to the rice bowl, along with the lemon juice, dill, and mint. Stir with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon to evenly distribute. Close the cover and let the rice steam for an additional 10 minutes on the Keep Warm cycle.
5. Serve the rice immediately, topped with some feta cheese and a lemon wedge on the side.
note:
This rice will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours, if necessary, but don’t add the lemon juice, dill, and mint until 10 minutes before you plan to serve.
brown basmati almondine (julie’s“ cheater’s pilaf” )
Brown basmati rice presented us with a bit of a challenge. Raw, it has a distinctly grassy odor. If you don’t cook it for long enough, the grassy odor and flavor will linger. The trick is to cook it in plenty of water, which ensures that you will be rewarded with fluffy, aromatic grains and a delicate, almost nutty flavor. This elegant side dish is just right with a lightly seasoned baked fish or plain roasted chicken. No one will be able to identify the hint of allspice.
MACHINE: Small (4-cup) or medium
(6-cup) rice cooker; fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular/Brown Rice
YIELD: Serves 3 to 4
¾ cup brown basmati rice
1¾ cups water
1 tablespoon ghee (
clarified butter
;) or unsalted butter
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, to taste
1. Place the rice in a fine strainer or bowl, rinse with cold water, rubbing it with your hands to remove any bits of dust; drain.
Repeat.
2. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl. Add the water; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular/Brown Rice cycle.
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 15 minutes.
4. While the rice is steaming, prepare the almonds. Melt the ghee in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring a few times, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Watch carefully; they burn easily. Set aside.
5. When the steaming period is finished, fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This rice will hold on Keep Warm for 3 to 4 hours.
6. Just before serving, add the almonds, salt, and allspice to the rice; stir to evenly distribute. Serve immediately.
Matthew Bunson is a scholar and author of
The
Wisdom Teachings of the Dalai Lama
(Dutton, 1997) and
Papal Wisdom, Words of Hope and
Inspiration from Pope John Paul II
(Dutton, 1995). And he cooks rice in his ancient rice cooker. Serve his rice with roast lamb.
MACHINE: Small (4-cup) or medium
(6-cup) rice cooker; fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 5 to 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup sliced carrot rounds
1½ cups long-grain white rice or any flavorful favorite white rice
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon chopped almonds
1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl. Add the stock, parsley, thyme, peas, and sautéed carrots; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
3. 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 rice will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours.
4. When ready to serve, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the almonds; stir to evenly distribute. Serve immediately.
This dish combines basmati with dried apricots, the reputed fruit of longevity. In the summer, we like to sauté a chopped fresh apricot along with the onion and almonds. Hunza is the name of a tribe of people living in a remote valley of the Himalayas who are blessed with an exceptionally long and healthy life due to their vegetarian diet of unprocessed foods. Because of this, they have risen to mythical status.
MACHINE: Small (4-cup) or medium
(6-cup) rice cooker; fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular/Brown Rice
YIELD: Serves 3 to 4
1 cup brown basmati rice
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
¼ cup minced dried apricots
2 tablespoons ghee (
clarified butter
;) or unsalted butter
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
¼ cup whole almonds, split in half lengthwise
1. Place the rice in a fine strainer or bowl; rinse with cold water, rubbing it with your hands to remove any bits of dust; drain. Repeat.
2. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl. Add the stock and apricots; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular/ Brown Rice cycle.
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. While the rice is steaming, melt the ghee in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the almonds and cook, stirring, until just golden, watching carefully that they don’t burn. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. When you are ready to serve, fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Add the sautéed onion mixture; stir to evenly distribute. This rice will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Serve hot.
wehani rice with garden vegetables
The Lundberg family has been breeding and growing aromatic and organic rices for years in northern California. A favorite is the aromatic Wehani rice bred by the Lundbergs themselves. It packs such a wallop of flavor that it needs little embellishment. This recipe is from food and wine writer Lynn Alley, who leaves the rice cooking while she works in her garden. Then she tops it with young, fresh-picked veggies and a dusting of Parmesan. In the springtime, use peas, green onions, and fresh parsley from your garden, produce stand, or local farmer’s market; in the summer, tiny baby zucchini, slender green beans, and strips of red or yellow pepper. And in the fall, try little florets of broccoli, purple potatoes, and baby carrots. Don’t bother cutting up the small veggies, simply scrub and steam them whole. A little bit of experience will teach you when the rice is about 10 minutes away from being done; add the vegetables then.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular/Brown Rice
YIELD: Serves 2 to 3
1 cup Wehani rice
1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon onion or mushroom food base (available in natural food stores; optional)
About 2 cups fresh vegetables (choice depending on the season)
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Place the rice in a fine strainer or bowl, rinse with cold water, and drain.
2. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl. Add the water and food base, if using; stir briefly. Close the cover and set for the regular/Brown Rice cycle. About 10 minutes before the rice is finished cooking, arrange the vegetables on top of the rice
