The Ultimate Rice Cooker (22 page)
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: About 20 rice balls; serves 5 to 6
⅓ pound fresh salmon fillet, skin on
½ to ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus extra for shaping
3 cups (4 rice cooker cups) Japanese-style short- or medium-grain rice
5 sheets sushi nori
1. At least 2 hours and up to 1 day before you want to make rice balls, salt the salmon. If your salmon is in a thick piece, cut it into pieces ½ to 3.4 inch thick. Sprinkle the salt all over the cut sides of the salmon. Place the salmon in a container, cover tightly, and refrigerate until ready to use (or freeze; see headnote).
2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
3. 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.
4. Place the drained rice in the rice cooker bowl. Add water to the 4-cup mark on the rice cooker. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
5. While the rice cooks, prepare the salmon. Cover a small baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the salmon pieces on the foil. Bake the salmon for 5 to 6 minutes, turning the fish over and continuing to bake until it is just cooked through, about 5 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the fish. (Flake with a fork to check for doneness.) The fish should not brown.
6. When the fish is cooked, remove it from the foil and place on a plate. Remove and discard the skin and any bones. Using a fork or chopsticks, flake the salmon into very small pieces, not more than ½ inch long on a side. (Larger flakes might cause your rice balls to split open.)
7. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Fluff the rice briefly with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Remove the bowl from the cooker and allow the rice to cool until it is just cool enough to easily handle, 3 to 4 minutes
8. Pour 1 tablespoon sea salt on a small plate. To shape the balls, wet your hands with cool water. Touch your index finger to the salt in the dish and rub your hands together to distribute the salt. Scoop a small handful of warm rice into your palm, ⅓ to ½ cup. (Only a bit of experience will tell you what a handful is for you; you need enough to make a nice-sized rice ball but not so much that you cannot shape it properly.) Make a dent in the center of the rice ball and fill the dent with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the salmon. Cup your hands and use them to bury the salmon and shape the rice into an oval, like an egg. You’ll be holding the rice in one cupped hand and using the other one to smooth and turn the rice ball around. Use enough pressure so that the rice sticks together. When the rice ball is smooth and even, set it on a plate. Repeat with the remaining rice and salmon, remembering to wet and salt your hands after every 1 or 2 rice balls. You may have some salmon left over.
Rice balls can be eaten immediately or stored, covered tightly, at room temperature for several hours. Do not refrigerate; the rice will harden.
9. Just before serving or packing in a lunch box or picnic basket, add the nori wrap. Cut each sheet of nori into 4 thick strips. Wrap each rice ball in a nori sheet.
variations:
Want to get fancy? Your
onigiri
can be shaped into triangles. Follow the instructions through step 7 for stuffing the rice with the salmon. Wet and salt your hands as described in step 8. Then scoop a smaller than usual handful of rice into your palm. Put 1 to 2 teaspoons of the salmon onto the rice, then top the salmon with a small dab of rice, 2 teaspoons or so. This makes it easier to bury the salmon. Press the rice around the salmon. To shape the stuffed rice into a triangle, fold the hand holding the rice in half, keeping your fingers together and straight. Use the fingers of your other hand to press the rice into an upright triangle shape. Rotate the rice and press again to shape. Continue rotating and pressing, balancing the triangle upright against the fleshy part of your hand right below your thumb. It’s easier than it sounds!
bonito-stuffed rice balls:
Instead of salmon, use katsuo flakes (those are the shavings of dried bonito that are used to make dashi), ½ cup or so, dampened with a bit of soy sauce. The larger bonito shavings are best for this, not the ones shredded as finely as angel hair pasta. (Don’t use too much soy sauce or your rice balls will be brown instead of white.) Prepare the rice balls as directed, substituting the damp katsuo flakes for the fish.
tuna-stuffed rice balls:
Make a simple tuna salad by combining a well-drained 6-ounce can of oil-packed tuna with 1 to 2 teaspoons mayonnaise and soy sauce to taste (start with ¼ teaspoon or so). Stuff and wrap the rice balls as directed.
umeboshi-stuffed rice balls:
Stuff the rice balls as directed with 1 small or half of a large umeboshi (pickled plum). These are sold in small jars in Asian markets. If you purchase umeboshi with their pits, take care when eating them. Wrap as directed.
TOASTING SEEDS AND NUTS
Shelled nuts and seeds are often added to rice dishes, providing flavor along with naturally built-in nourishment. Nuts bring a unique character to rice dishes due to their high percentage of flavorful natural fat, which is released in the presence of heat. You can use raw nuts, toasted nuts, dry-roasted nuts, and nuts with or without salt, as desired. Favorite nuts include almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts. Chestnuts are used in Japanese and Italian rices, pistachios are used in Indian rices, and macadamia nuts are used in fusion recipes. Almonds and hazelnuts, unlike walnuts and pecans, have thin skins, which can be removed by blanching before using. Store all shelled nuts in the refrigerator for about nine months or in the freezer for no longer than one year, until the next year’s new crop, but fresh is best.
To Toast Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts, and Pine Nuts
Toasting gives nuts a richer flavor and crisps the texture. Slivered or sliced nuts will toast much more quickly than pieces or halves.
In a conventional oven:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet on the center rack and toast for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of the nuts), stirring once with a flat spatula. The nuts should be hot and very pale golden; if they get darker, the flavor will be destroyed and the nuts will taste burnt. Let cool to room temperature before using.
Place the nuts in a single layer on a shallow paper plate or double layer of paper towels. Toast the nuts on high power for 4 to 5 minutes per ½ cup, stirring every 1 to 2 minutes to prevent burning and facilitate even browning. This method toasts nuts very quickly, so watch carefully! Let cool to room temperature before using.
When
a recipe calls for
1
/4 cup or less of toasted nuts, they can be toasted in a heavy skillet or sauté pan on the stovetop. Place whole or chopped nuts in a clean, dry skillet over medium-low heat. Stir constantly or shake the pan until the nuts are slightly colored and aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pan to cool to room temperature before using.
To Blanch Almonds
Fill a medium-size saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring it to a boil. Add the whole shelled almonds and remove the pan from the heat. Let stand for 3 minutes, then rinse the nuts under cold running water. Squeeze the nut kernel out of its loosened brown layer of skin by holding the nut between your thumb and index finger. Let the nuts dry on a layer of paper towels for at least 2 hours or gently oven-dry on a baking sheet in a preheated 300°F. oven for 4 to 5 minutes.
To Skin and Oven-Dry Pistachio Nuts
Place the nuts in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let the nuts stand for 1 minute, then drain. Turn the nuts out onto a dish towel and rub off the skins. Dry the nuts on a baking sheet in a preheated 300°F oven for about 8 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.
To Toastand Skin Hazelnuts or Filberts
These nuts have a tough, loose skin that is first removed by toasting. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the hazelnuts in one layer in a baking pan. Toast for 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the nuts are lightly colored and the skins blister. Wrap the nuts in a dish towel and let them stand for 1 minute. Rub the nuts in a towel to remove the skins. Let cool to room temperature before using.
To Toast Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts are most commonly available already salted. They are perfectly fine to use like this, just take care to adjust any other salt required in the recipe. If you want unsalted nuts, place the nuts in a mesh strainer and rinse with cold water. Drain on paper towels and proceed to toast as directed. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the nuts in one layer in a baking pan. Toast for about 7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the nuts are lightly colored. Macadamias burn easily, so take care not to overcook. Let cool to room temperature before using.
