The Ultimate Rice Cooker (77 page)

1 heaping cup bean sprouts

½ cup coarsely grated carrot

½ cup finely diced celery

½ cup finely diced zucchini

2 ribs bok choy, chopped, or ¼ cup chopped fresh green beans

¼ cup reduced-sodium tamari (a thick, strong soy sauce)

4 cups cold cooked brown rice, such as long-grain brown Texmati, Wehani, or red rice

Asian sesame oil, for serving (optional)

1. Soak the mushrooms in boiling water to cover until nice and soft, about 30 minutes, or microwave, covered tightly with plastic wrap, for 2 minutes. Let cool before draining. Trim away and discard the stems. Mince the caps and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 10-inch skillet or wok. Pour in the beaten whole eggs. When they have set, turn the omelet over with 2 spatulas; cook briefly on the second side, but do not brown. Slide the omelet out of the pan onto a plate; cut into thin strips with kitchen shears or a knife.

3. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the egg white, wine, and cornstarch. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.

4. Wipe out the skillet or wok with a paper towel and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Add the shrimp mixture and stir-fry until lightly cooked, about 30 seconds. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl, leaving any liquid in the pan. Add the mushrooms, green onions, sprouts, carrot, celery, zucchini, and bok choy; stir-fry until cooked and warmed through, a few minutes. Add the tamari and rice; stir-fry, breaking up any clumps of rice, until nice and hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook until hot.

5. Serve the rice immediately, with a drizzle of sesame oil over the top, if desired.

plain fried rice, egg, and peas

This is as plain as it gets. You can leave out the egg, the peas, or both and have an even simpler dish. Beth adds ½ cup or so of diced Chinese barbecued pork or honey-baked ham and a few sliced water chestnuts to this basic fry. Remember to use a very cold rice, such as Chinese-Style Plain Rice, so it will hold up during the cooking.

YIELD: Serves 2

1 green onion, white and green parts, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups cold cooked rice

1 large egg, lightly beaten (optional)

¼ cup frozen petite peas, thawed

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1. Coat a 10- or 12-inch nonstick skillet or wok with nonstick cooking spray twice. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onion and garlic and stir-fry for a minute or two to soften the onion; do not let the garlic burn. Add the rice, breaking up any clumps; stir-fry the rice, allowing it to heat up and grow fragrant.

2. If using the egg, push the rice over to one side of the pan and pour the egg into the empty space. Don’t worry if the edges of the egg run into the rice. Allow the egg to cook for a few seconds undisturbed; the bottom will begin to set. Then stir the rice into the egg, folding the rice and egg over and over to distribute the egg bits as evenly as possible throughout the rice. Add the peas and keep stirring. When the peas are almost hot, add the salt, if using, and soy sauce. Stir to combine and serve the rice immediately.

mushroom fried rice with walnutsand scallions

From creative recipe consultant Julia Scannel, here is one of her unique home recipes. She recommends serving this rice as a meal starter or appetizer piled into individual butter lettuce leaves with a drizzle of plum sauce—like the minced chicken dish served with lettuce leaves for rolling, burrito style, found at some Chinese restaurants. The fried rice should be hot so it contrasts with the cold lettuce leaf, a real sensory treat.

YIELD: Serves 2 as a light meal, 4 as

part of a larger meal

¼ cup fresh green beans cut on the diagonal into ½-inch lengths

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (available in Chinese markets) or medium-dry sherry

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon peanut oil ½ small white onion, diced

2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms (mix of cremini, oyster, and shiitake)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1½ cups cold cooked white rice

1 green onion, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts,
toasted
, for garnish

1. Blanch the green beans in a pot of salted boiling water for 1 minute; drain and set aside.

2. Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and wine in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet or heavy wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Add the mushrooms and stir frequently until they have cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and beans and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

4. Make a large well in the bottom of the skillet by pushing the mushroom mixture to the outside of the pan. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the middle of the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the eggs to the well. After the eggs begin to set, gently stir until they reach a crumbly stage. Add the rice to the skillet and stir to incorporate the eggs and rice into the mushroom mixture, breaking up any clumps in the rice. Add the soy sauce mixture and stir to combine.

5. Serve the rice immediately, sprinkled with the green onion and walnuts.

sausage and portobello fried rice

Atsuko Ishii, the source of so much of the information about Japanese cooking in this book, contributed this recipe. At home in Tokyo, Atsuko would make this fried rice with fresh shiitake mushrooms, but here in the States, the portobellos are always available and more reasonably priced. Choose oyster sauce for a mild dish, chile bean paste for a spicier one.

YIELD: Serves 4 to 6

2 medium-size to large portobellos or ½ pound fresh shiitake mushrooms

8 ounces Polish smoked sausage

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups cold cooked rice

4 green onions, white and green parts, sliced

1 tablespoon oyster sauce or 1 tablespoon chile bean paste

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Clean the mushrooms by wiping them gently with a damp paper towel. Break off and discard the stems. Slice the caps about ½ inch thick. Cut the larger slices in half or thirds crosswise.

2. Slice the sausage in half lengthwise, then into half-moon slices about 1.3 inch thick.

3. Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring gently so as not to break them. When they begin to soften, add the sausage and stir-fry until the sausage is slightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms and sausage to a plate.

4. Quickly rinse and dry the skillet with a paper towel, coat it with nonstick cooking spray twice, and heat it over medium-high heat. When hot, pour in the eggs. Allow them to cook undisturbed for about 1 minute, until they are about half-set. Working quickly, add the rice, breaking up any clumps with your fingers or the spatula, and green onions. Stir to combine. Return the sausage and mushrooms to the skillet, stir to combine, and reheat. Add the oyster sauce and soy sauce and stir to combine. Serve the rice immediately.

fried wild rice with chicken and vegetables

Wild rice may sound unusual as a base for Chinese-style fried rice, but it is just as good as any Asian rice. It is a great way to use up leftovers, but we prefer to use it in equal proportions with long-grain white or brown jasmine rice to cut the inherent intensity of the grain.

YIELD: Serves 4

2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons canola oil or Asian sesame oil

1 large or extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3 fresh mushrooms, sliced, or one 4-ounce can straw mushrooms, drained and left whole

1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat and cut into strips

2 green onions, white parts and some of the green parts, chopped

1 stalk celery, diced

½ cup frozen petite peas or blend of peas and carrots, thawed

¼ cup diced cooked ham

4 cups cold cooked wild rice or white and wild rice blend

2 tablespoons oyster sauce or vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Pinch of freshly ground white pepper

¼ cup chicken stock

1. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add 2 teaspoons of the canola oil and the egg; tip the pan to spread the egg over the bottom of the pan (like you are making a crepe). Cook the egg until barely set; turn once and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Slide the egg out of the pan and let cool. Fold over and cut into thin shreds with kitchen shears or a knife.

2. In a 12-inch skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil over high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and fresh mushrooms (if using straw mushrooms, add with the rice later in the recipe); stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry until cooked through, a few minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, leaving any juices in the pan.

3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the pan and add the green onions and celery. Stir-fry until softened, a few minutes. Add the peas, ham, rice, and straw mushrooms, if using; stir-fry, breaking up any clumps of rice, until nice and hot, at least 5 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, and chicken stock. Stir the chicken mixture and egg threads back in and cook until hot and the stock is evaporated. Serve immediately.

poo khao phat supparot (thai pineapple fried jasmine rice with crab)

This fabulously exotic recipe for fried rice comes from San Francisco food writer Joyce Jue. Although any long-grain rice can be used for Thai fried rice, long-grain jasmine rice works best. In Thailand, jasmine rice is also called fragrant or scented rice. While jasmine rice does not have an actual jasmine scent, or any fragrant flower petal for that matter, it does emit a pleasant floral aroma when cooked. The crab paste in soybean sauce is a prepared condiment. It is not crabby or fishy but it does bring a savory essence to the dish; it is easily found in Asian specialty markets.

YIELD: Serves 4 to 6

1 ripe fresh pineapple

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ teaspoon salt

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

¼ pound medium-size shrimp, shelled and deveined

¼ pound cooked chicken, cut into ½-inch dice

2 large or extra-large eggs

1½ tablespoons Thai crab paste in soybean sauce

1 to 2 tablespoons ketchup

3 green onions, white parts and 1 inch of the green parts, thinly sliced

4 cups cold cooked
Thai Jasmine Rice
, gently crushed to break up clumps

2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (
nam pla
)

Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

2 ounces fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage, for garnish

1 tablespoon crispy fried shallot flakes (a ready-to-use product), for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

2. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Hollow out each half, leaving the shells intact. Place the hollow shells on a baking sheet and set in the oven for 10 minutes to dry out. When dried, remove from the oven and set aside. Coarsely chop 1 cup of pineapple; place in a bowl and set aside. Keep the remaining pineapple for another use.