The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook (7 page)

Cooking Tip

Do not try to chop the shrimp and fish in a food processor. Doing so will produce more moisture than will mincing the shrimp using a cleaver/chopper. Too much moisture is undesirable for making firmly shaped patties or balls.

Add cooked rice to the soup and make it a nutritious one-dish meal.

1. Cover the rice cooker and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the pancetta and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until it begins to brown at edges and oil is released.
   

2. Add the asparagus and stir-fry with the pancetta until the asparagus is lightly colored and tender. Divide the asparagus and pancetta among the serving bowls.
   

3. Wipe out the oil in the rice cooker pot, add the water or water and stock, cover, and set to Cook. When the water boils, add the fish slices in small batches to cook. Once fish is cooked (turns opaque) in about 5 to 8 minutes, remove from the simmering soup and set aside in the serving bowls along with the asparagus and pancetta.
   

4. To serve, ladle soup into the serving bowls. Add salt and pepper. Garnish with green onion, Fried Golden Shallots, and red chili.
   

Cooking Tip

As pancetta cooks it releases some oil, which can be used to fry the asparagus. It gives the entire soup mixture more flavor and makes it more robust. If you do not want to use pancetta, substitute 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for frying the asparagus.

This spicy soup is known as Tom Ka Gai in Thai cuisine. Kick up the spice level by adding paprika or cayenne pepper powder.

1. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the chicken and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is slightly browned. Remove chicken and set aside.
   

2. Switch the rice cooker to Warm and add the coconut milk and water. Cover the rice cooker, set to Cook, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, switch to Warm again and add the ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, red chili powder, and turmeric. Stir well.
   

3. Add the chicken, cover the rice cooker, and set to Cook. Cook the mixture for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken cooks through, switching to Warm once the mixture begins to bubble. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.
   

To cook this soup, you can buy pre-packed herbs from Chinese medicine shops, Chinese supermarkets, or on the Internet.

1. Parboil chicken in boiling water for a few minutes as directed in the Cooking Tip for
   Chicken and Daikon Soup
   . Drain and set aside.
   

2. Add water to the rice cooker pot, cover, and set to Cook. When the water boils, add the parboiled chicken and the herbal pack.
   

3. After the water returns to a boil, switch the rice cooker to Warm and simmer for about 2 hours until the chicken cooks through.
   

Other Uses for Chinese Herbal Packs

Instead of boiling soup, you can also make herbal steamed chicken with the same herbal pack. Place the chicken on a piece of foil and sprinkle with the herbs. Make a sauce mixture of 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine, and 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; drizzle the sauce over the chicken and herbs. Fold the foil into a tight packet, place it into a steamer basket, and steam in the rice cooker for about 30 minutes until chicken cooks through.

There are many varieties of miso. The most common are red miso (made from white rice, barley, or soybeans by natural fermentation) and white miso (made from a lot of rice and fewer soybeans). Any miso variety would work in this recipe.

1. Add the water to the rice cooker pot, cover, and set to Cook. When the water boils, add the tofu and simmer, covered for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in spinach and simmer for 30 seconds.
   

2. Ladle about 2 tablespoons soup liquid from the rice cooker into a small bowl. Add the miso to the bowl and stir to dissolve the miso; then stir the contents of the bowl back into the rice cooker pot, set it to Warm, and cover it. Let soup sit for about 5 minutes and garnish with green onions before serving.
   

Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols and can be a powerful antioxidant. Green tea is not as strong or as bitter as black tea, which makes it easier to incorporate in cooking. Green tea makes an otherwise ordinary miso soup extraordinary in this recipe.

1. Place tea bags in teapot with boiling water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and reserve the tea for use in soup.
   

2. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the shallots and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until soft.
   

3. Add the brewed tea, cover the rice cooker, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, switch the rice cooker to Warm and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes.
   

4. Add the tofu and simmer, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in spinach and simmer for 30 seconds.
   

5. Ladle 2 tablespoons of soup liquid into a small bowl. Add the miso to the bowl and stir to dissolve the miso; then stir the contents of the bowl back into the rice cooker and set it to Warm. Let soup sit for about 5 minutes and garnish with green onions before serving.
   

Benefits of Miso

As miso is typically fermented with a vitamin B
₁₂
-synthesizing bacteria, it is commonly recommended as a B
₁₂
source for vegans. Miso contains trace minerals such as zinc, manganese, and copper, all of which your body requires daily. Miso therefore is considered a nutritious flavor enhancer.

Usually known as Tom Yum Goong in Thai cuisine, there are two versions — the clear version and the “milky” version. The addition of milk in this recipe gives the soup a better balance of spice.

1. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook.
   

   When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the Tom Yum paste and lemongrass, and fry for about 1 to 2 minutes.
   

2. Stir in 1 cup of the water, cover the rice cooker, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
   

3. When the mixture boils, switch to Warm and add the mushrooms, green beans, and remaining water. Cover the rice cooker and set to Cook for 2 minutes or until the soup returns to a boil; then switch the rice cooker to Warm.
   

4. Add the shrimp and clams, stir well, cover the rice cooker, and set to Cook. Cook for about 12 to 15 minutes until shrimp turn pink and clams open.
   

5. Remove the shrimp, clams, mushrooms, and green beans and divide among the serving bowls.
   

6. Make sure the rice cooker is set to Warm and then gently stir in milk. Simmer at Warm for about 1 minute with the rice cooker covered. Ladle soup over serving bowls and garnish with red chili.
   

Cooking Tip

Choose clams with tightly closed shells for cooking. These are fresh clams. Dead clams are those that are open prior to cooking. You should discard these clams and not use them in cooking.

Kimchi, which is served as a side dish or condiment, is no longer solely found in Korean cuisine. It is also popular in many countries throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. You can use kimchi as a flavor enhancer in stir-fries and soups.

1. Add the water into the rice cooker pot, cover, and set to Cook.
   

2. When the water boils, add the tofu, cover the rice cooker, and allow it to return to a simmer.
   

3. Switch the rice cooker to Warm, stir in kimchi, and simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes.
   

4. Garnish with green onions before serving.
   

The common ingredients in Minestrone include onions, celery, carrots, beans, and tomatoes. You can make your soup chunky or less chunky by varying the amount of water and the way you cut the vegetables.

1. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the garlic and onion and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
   

2. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and tomatoes and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.
   

3. Add the water or water and broth, cover the rice cooker, and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until vegetables turn slightly tender.
   

4. Add the shell pasta and boil for another 5 to 6 minutes until pasta cooks through.
   

5. Switch to Warm and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with basil and serve with toasted bread.
   

There are many ways of cooking this classic soup, up to the point of being luxurious and adding truffle oil as a finishing touch. This is a simple homemade version.

1. Coarsely chop mushrooms in a food processor or with a sharp knife.
   

2. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter into the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm and the butter melts, add the onions and fry for 5 minutes until onions become soft.
   

3. Add the mushrooms and remaining butter and continue to fry, covered, for about 5 to 8 minutes, checking occasionally for the mushrooms and onions to be properly cooked (turn tender) in the process of frying.
   

4. Slowly stir in the stock, salt, and pepper, cover the rice cooker, and bring to a boil.
   

5. Once the mixture is boiling, switch the rice cooker to Warm, gently stir in the heavy cream, and allow to simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes.
   

6. About 5 minutes before serving the soup, stir in the flour to thicken the soup if desired, and simmer for the remaining 5 minutes. Serve warm.
   

The addition of a little curry powder makes this a mildly spicy soup, comforting on cold winter days.

1. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the onions and garlic and fry for about 5 minutes until onions become soft.
   

2. Add the carrots, grated ginger, and curry powder, and continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.
   

3. Add the water, cover the rice cooker, and bring to a boil.
   

4. Once the mixture is boiling, switch the rice cooker to Warm, add salt, pepper, and ginger shreds, and gently stir in coconut milk. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Serve warm.