The Ultimate Rice Cooker (76 page)
WHAT IS THE BEST DESSERT CUSTARD CUP?
There are three main types of heatproof individual dishes suitable for steaming custards. The following recipes are designed to be used in these types of containers.
Apilco and Emile Henri brands, available from specialty cookware stores, come in 3½-inch-diameter ramekins with a ½-cup (4-ounce) capacity. Four of these will fit comfortably in the 10-inch-diameter steamer basket. If you are using a smaller rice cooker with the metal steamer tray insert, you will only be able to fit three at one time. The Apilco ramekin, really a miniature soufflé dish, is always made of plain white French porcelain, while Emile Henri ceramics come in a range of earthy colors.
Pyrex custard cups, easily available in most supermarkets and hardware stores, are 4 inches in diameter with a ¾-cup (6-ounce) capacity. One-half cup of custard fits in this size as well. Three of these will fit comfortably in the 10-inch-diameter steamer basket (in the large rice cooker). If you are using a smaller rice cooker with the metal steamer tray insert, you will only be able to fit two custard cups at one time; cover and refrigerate the extra custard, steaming in batches.
If you use the stacked 10-inch-diameter steamer baskets, you can double any recipe and steam a double rack of custards at one time. That means you can place two Pyrex cups on each level to steam the entire recipe at one time.
Plain Rice and Green Tea (Ochazuke)
Japanese-Style Leftover Rice Soup
Plain Fried Rice, Egg, and Peas
Mushroom Fried Rice with Walnutsand Scallions
Sausage and Portobello Fried Rice
Fried Wild Rice with Chicken and Vegetables
Poo Khao Phat Supparot (Thai Pineapple Fried Jasmine Rice with Crab)
Sauté of Corn, Brown Rice, and Fresh Basil
Black Bean,Corn, and Rice Salad with Green Chile Vinaigrette
Autumn Rice and Wheat Berry Salad
Barley Salad with Fresh Dill and Vegetables
Japanese Rice and Cabbage Salad
Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Berry Vinaigrette
Creamy Rice Salad with Fresh Fruits
Buttermilk Rice Breakfast Pancakes
Once you get comfortable with your rice cooker, you will find how easy it is to make and enjoy fresh rice on a daily basis. With that comes the inevitable: leftover rice. While rice is fluffy and moist when hot, the same component that keeps it this way “retrogrades” (a technical term to describe the hardening of the starch in the center of each grain) when chilled. The degree of retrogradation is slightly different in each rice, depending on how much starch is in the rice. A lot of cooks especially like jasmine rice for its ability to stay a bit softer after refrigeration than other white rices. Short- and medium-grain rices, ones that end up with a lot of starch surrounding the grain after cooking, will retrograde into a solid mass (risotto is a good example here). A dish like fried rice or a stuffing is perfect with hardened, crunchy rice; it holds its shape during secondary cooking. The best rice salads are made with rice that has not been refrigerated first. Just let the rice sit on the counter, covered, as long as overnight before adding the other ingredients; the rice is perfectly safe and will not spoil quickly. Of course, after adding the other ingredients, you must refrigerate the salad.
We keep leftovers in small plastic freezer bags, ready to be defrosted overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave, to add to recipes. The first preparation that comes to mind for leftover rice is fried rice, improvised in the kitchen and made anew with each batch. Rice is also a great ingredient in other recipes, such as in soups, fried rice, rice salads, and pancakes, just to name a few. We have assembled a selection here to get you inspired, but remember your leftover rice for stuffings, casseroles, muffins, and yeast breads as well.
plain rice and green tea (ochazuke)
Ochazuke
is as simple as it gets: plain cooked rice warmed up with brewed green tea, in roughly the same proportions as cereal and milk.
Ochazuke
is such popular JapaneseAmerican family food that it even has a baby talk name:
cha-cha gohan
(
cha-cha
refers to the tea;
gohan
is rice). The rice can be fresh from your rice cooker’s Keep Warm cycle or at room temperature. If it has been refrigerated, you may wish to reheat it slightly, either in the rice cooker or in the microwave. At the very least, remove it from the fridge while you prepare the tea. It can be a snack, a quick, light meal, or a way to end a family supper. If you wish, you can eat your tea rice with Japanese pickles or a pickled plum (umeboshi).
YIELD: Serves 2
1½ cups cooked Japanese-style white rice
1 cup freshly brewed hot green tea
Divide the rice between two bowls. Pour the hot tea over the rice and serve.
japanese-style leftover rice soup
This is a type of
zosui
, the quick Japanese rice porridge made with cooked rice (as opposed to
okai
or
okayu
, which is made on the Porridge cycle or on the stove with raw rice). It is a great fridge-emptier for lunch the day after you’ve fixed a chicken dinner and have just one or two pieces left over. This recipe is from Julie’s friend Sharon Noguchi, who learned to make it when she lived in Tokyo.
YIELD: Serves 2
2 large or 3 small dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 cups water
One 1-inch square kombu (
the seaweed used to make Dashi
)
½ cup grated carrot
½ cup cooked skinless chicken cut into small chunks (or use another type of rather plain cooked meat)
1 cup sliced Napa cabbage leaves cut crosswise ½ inch thick
¼ cup frozen petite peas
1½ cups cooked Japanese-style white rice
1 or 2 large eggs
Salt (optional)
Prepared chile sauce, chile paste, or chile oil, or a few drops of soy sauce (optional)
1. If you are using dried mushrooms, soften them by soaking in hot water to cover for 30 minutes, or microwave them. To microwave, place the mushrooms in a container just large enough to hold them and add water just to cover. Cover the container tightly with plastic wrap and micro wave on high for 2 minutes. Let the mushrooms rest until they are cool enough to handle. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, place the water in a medium-size saucepan. Gently clean the kombu square by wiping it with a damp paper towel, but do not remove the white powder, which adds flavor. Place the kombu in the water. Turn the heat to high. When the water boils, turn off the heat.
3. To prepare the softened mushrooms, trim off the tough stems and discard. Slice the caps as thinly as possible. If you are using fresh mushrooms, simply trim away the stems and thinly slice the caps. Add the mushrooms to the pan with the kombu, along with the carrot and chicken, and turn the heat to high again. Stir in the cabbage and peas. When the mixture comes to a boil, stir in the rice. Gently pour in the beaten egg in a swirl pattern, letting it set for a few seconds before stirring. The result will be threads of egg. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the rice begins to soften.
4. Serve immediately, seasoned (if you wish) with salt to taste; a dash of chile sauce, paste, or oil; or just a few drops of soy sauce.
FRIED RICE
Giving recipes for fried rice is like giving recipes for tossed green salad. Yes, you can go to the store, buy specific items, and follow a recipe if you wish, but few salads are actually made that way. In reality, salad-makers open their crisper drawers and toss in what’s there. Leafy greens, yes, and the rest depends on what’s on hand.
It’s pretty much the same with fried rice, which is popular in many Asian countries, and in the United States, too. “Fried rice for dinner is a staple for me,” says Judith Dunbar Hines, cultural liaison for the city of Chicago and former cooking teacher and recipe development consultant. “I always make double the amount of rice, usually Thai jasmine, keep two-inch chunks of bacon in the freezer, then mix and match with what is in the refrigerator—bits of raw or cooked vegetables and leftover chicken or pork. It is a different dish every time.” To make fried rice, you need rice, of course, some kind of onion, and whatever else you like—eggs, garlic, vegetables, bits of meat or seafood; all of these are good. Using some of these ingredients—or none of these—is also fine. Your seasoning can be as plain as a dash of salt and pepper or a splash of soy sauce or fish sauce, or you can use more elaborate bottled condiments such as oyster sauce and chile paste.
Usually cookbooks have only one or two fried rice recipes at best, so we took it upon ourselves to gather a few favorite recipes from friends who are fried rice lovers. In the pages that follow, you can find some really special recipes. But first, here are some general tips for making fried rice. After reading them, you’ll be ready to clean out your own refrigerator!
CLICK TO SEE THE BASICS : FRIED RICE
This recipe is adapted from one in
All
American Waves of Grain
by Barbara Grunes and Virginia Van Dynckt (Henry Holt, 1997), one of Beth’s favorite books. The recipe has had a few transmutations with every making, but it is a delightfully savory fried rice with small shrimp (we like to use the 51/60 count). The omelet is a snap to cut into strips with a nice pair of kitchen shears, such as ones made by KitchenAid, with blades that are as sharp as a paring knife and used only for food. We use the authors’ tip to use very cold rice (made the day before), even frozen rice that has just been taken out of the freezer before stir-frying, which seems to be especially important when using tender brown rices.
YIELD: Serves 4 to 6
½ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or Asian sesame oil
2 large or extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, beaten until foamy
2 teaspoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ pound small shrimp, shelled, rinsed, and patted dry
4 green onions, white parts and 3 inches of the green parts, chopped
