by Hui Leng Tay
Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice with 2 or 3 changes of water. Drain rice and set aside in a separate bowl.
Clean out rice cooker and wipe dry. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the minced garlic, grated ginger, screwpine leaves, remaining green onions, and the rinsed rice. Fry the mixture for about 2 minutes, until fragrant, covering rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying. Stir in 3 cups reserved chicken stock gradually and add salt to taste. Cover the rice cooker, set to Cook, and cook the rice until completely done.
After the rice is cooked, do not open the cover immediately. Let it sit for 5 minutes to vent off the remaining steam. Fluff up the rice before serving. Serve with the chopped chicken.
Cooking Tip
There are two essential tips for moist and tender chicken in Chicken Rice. First, never allow the chicken to boil for a long time. Instead, simmer at low heat to cook the chicken. Second, bathe the chicken in an ice-water bath until chicken is cold to create a springy and moist texture in the chicken.
Chinese “Clay-Pot” Rice
In traditional clay-pot cooking, the food inside an unglazed clay pot is cooked over a charcoal fire, giving the finished dish a distinctive aromatic flavor. This recipe adapts clay-pot cooking and makes it easier to cook at home using a rice cooker.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3 OR 4
½ pound chicken (thighs, breasts, or drumsticks), chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
½ teaspoon corn flour
2 cups long-grain rice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger
6 fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
3 cups water
2 green onions, finely chopped
Combine the chicken with the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, brown sugar, Chinese cooking wine, and corn flour. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours.
Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice in the cooker pot with 2 or 3 changes of cold water. Drain the rice and set aside in a separate bowl.
Add the vegetable oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the chicken, the marinade, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms. Fry the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes until partially cooked, covering rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying. Dish out the chicken mixture and set aside in a bowl; dish out half of the sauce mixture into the same bowl. Leave the remaining half of the sauce mixture in the rice cooker.
With the rice cooker at Warm, add the rinsed rice and the water; mix well with the sauce mixture. Cover the rice cooker and set to Cook. (Cooking time varies with the type of rice cooker used. Most automatic rice cookers will switch to warm when the rice is cooked.) About 6 to 8 minutes before the rice is completely cooked (when the rice is almost dry), return the chicken and reserved sauce into the rice cooker and continue to cook until rice is completely done.
Switch the rice cooker to Warm for about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onions.
Asian “Risotto”
In some parts of Asia, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, rice is served soaked in thick gravy. The Cantonese call this dish Mui Fun. It is similar to risotto, which is also often served wet.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3 OR 4
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
12 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and diced
½ cup baby scallops
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms caps, diced
2 cups broccoli florets, blanched
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 cups hot water
Salt and ground white pepper, to taste
2 eggs, lightly whisked
4 cups warm cooked rice, set aside on a plate
Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the garlic, ginger, shrimp, and baby scallops and fry for about 5 to 8 minutes until almost cooked (when shrimp turn pink). Dish out the seafood with half of the gravy and set aside. Leave the remaining seafood gravy in the pot.
Add the mushrooms, broccoli, oyster sauce, and hot water; stir well. Cover the rice cooker and bring mixture to a simmer. This will take 1 to 2 minutes.
Once simmering, return the cooked seafood to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the rice cooker and continue to cook the seafood mixture, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to boil again and the seafood gravy starts to reduce.
Switch the rice cooker to Warm and slowly add the whisked eggs. Swirl the eggs gently in one direction using a chopstick. The warmth of the cooked ingredients will set the egg to a runny and creamy texture.
Pour the seafood and egg gravy on top of the cooked rice and serve immediately. It needs to be eaten wet!
Cooking Tip
Instead of preparing different seafood items use a frozen seafood pack, which often contains a mix of items such as shrimp, baby scallops, and calamari. It will greatly reduce preparation time as well as shopping time.
Pumpkin Rice
Raisins and gojiberries can be natural sweeteners and optional ingredients. Add them (about 1 teaspoon, each) when the rice is almost done.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3 OR 4
2 cups long-grain rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
½ pound lean pork, thinly sliced, less than ¼-inch thick
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms caps, diced
1 cup diced fresh pumpkin
¼ teaspoon salt
Ground white pepper, to taste
3 cups water
Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice in the cooker pot with 2 or 3 changes of cold water. Drain rice and set aside in a separate bowl.
Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the garlic, shallots, pork, and mushrooms and fry for 3 to 5 minutes until pork is partially cooked (or turns brown at the surface). Dish out and set aside.
With rice cooker still on Cook setting, add diced pumpkin and salt to the remaining oil in the pot and fry for about 3 minutes, covering rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying. Add white pepper to taste.
Add the rinsed rice and 3 cups water to the pot. Return the pork mixture to the pot. Stir and mix well with the pumpkin. Cover the rice cooker and cook the rice until completely done. (Cooking time varies with the type of rice cooker used. Most automatic rice cookers will switch to Warm when the rice is cooked.)
5. Let rice sit in the rice cooker for 5 to 10 minutes at Warm to vent off the remaining steam before serving.
Savory Cabbage Rice
When simmered and cooked until soft and tender, round cabbage becomes naturally sweet. It complements the savory meat in this rice dish very well.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3 OR 4
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
½ cup hot water
2 cups long-grain rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
½ pound lean pork, thinly sliced, to less than ¼-inch thick
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms caps, diced
½ pound round cabbage, thinly sliced
3 cups water, for cooking rice
Ground white pepper, to taste
Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, and hot water in a bowl. Set aside.
Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice in the cooker pot with 2 or 3 changes of cold water. Drain rice and set aside in a separate
bowl.
Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the garlic, shallots, pork, and mushrooms and fry for 3 to 5 minutes until pork is partially cooked (or turns brown at the surface), covering rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying. Dish out and set aside.
With rice cooker still on Cook, add the cabbage to the pot and fry for about 3 minutes until cabbage turns slightly tender (yet not limp).
Add the sauce mixture to the pot and mix well with the cabbage and pork. Cook for 1 minute. Dish out and set aside.
Add the rinsed rice and 3 cups water to the pot. Cover the rice cooker and set to Cook. (Cooking time varies with the type of rice cooker used.) About 10 minutes before the rice completely cooks in the rice cooker (when the rice is almost dry), return the pork and cabbage mixture to the rice cooker and continue to cook until rice is completely done.
Set the rice cooker to Warm for about 15 minutes before serving.
Cooking Tip
Instead of using fresh meat, use leftover meat such as leftover barbecued roast. Chop the leftover roast into bite-sized pieces and fry them with the cabbage, then set aside to be added to the rice when rice is partially done in the cooker. Using leftovers will save time and flavor up this rice dish very well.
Seafood Fried Rice
If you prefer a spicier dish, substitute 1 teaspoon of ready-made chili paste or curry paste for the oyster sauce. The spicy version of this fried rice is sometimes known as Nasi Goreng in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Goreng means “fried” in Malay.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 2 OR 3
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
12 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and diced
½ cup baby scallops
1 cup diced string beans
½ cup frozen corn, thawed
½ cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon warm water
3 cups of warm cooked rice
1 fresh red chili pepper, thinly sliced, for garnish
Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the garlic, shallots, shrimp, and baby scallops and fry for about 5 to 8 minutes until shrimp and scallops are cooked (when shrimp turn pink, and scallops turn white). Dish out seafood and set aside.
Add the long beans, corn, and peas to the rice cooker and fry for about 3 to 5 minutes until vegetables become tender (yet not limp).
Return the seafood to the pot, add the oyster sauce and warm water, and mix well. Make sure there is 2 to 3 tablespoons of gravy but not too much, since you do not want the rice to be too soggy.
Add the cooked rice to the rice cooker and mix with seafood and vegetables thoroughly by fluffing up the rice with the mixture. Cover rice cooker. The rice cooker will automatically switch to Warm in a few minutes, when there is not much moisture left in the cooking mixture.
Keep the rice cooker at Warm for about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with red chili.
Savory Taro Rice
Chinese dried shrimp are usually added when cooking savory taro rice. If using dried shrimp, omit the oyster sauce and reduce dark soy sauce to half, as dried shrimp are salty enough to add flavor to the rice. Fry the dried shrimp together with the taro cubes in this recipe.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3 OR 4
2 cups long-grain rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
½ pound lean pork, cut into ½-inch cubes
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms caps, diced
2 cups diced taro (½-inch cubes)
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
Salt, to taste
3 cups water
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 green onion, thinly sliced, for garnish
Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice in the cooker pot with 2 or 3 changes of cold water. Drain rice and set aside in a separate bowl.
Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the garlic, shallots, pork, and mushrooms and fry, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes until pork is partially cooked (or turns brown at the surface). Dish out and set aside.
With the rice cooker still on Cook, add the taro cubes, white pepper, and salt to the pot and fry for about 3 minutes.
Add the rinsed rice, 3 cups water, oyster sauce, and soy sauce to the pot; mix well.
Return the pork mixture to the pot. Stir and mix well with the rice and taro cubes. Cover the rice cooker and cook the rice until completely done. (Cooking time varies with the type of rice cooker used. Most automatic rice cookers will switch to Warm when the rice is cooked.)
Let rice sit in the rice cooker for 5 to 10 minutes at Warm to vent off the remaining steam. Fluff up the rice before serving.
Taro and Potato
Taro is starchy, similar to potatoes. However, this tuber, when cooked, tastes more nutty than potatoes. The storage of taro is similar to potatoes. Store taro in a cool and dry location, for up to one week.
Beef Fried Rice
Ground beef cooks easily, but do not overcook it, as it will turn out rubbery and dry.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 2 OR 3
3 tablespoons oil
3 shallots, thinly sliced
½ pound ground beef
¼ cup warm water
4 cups warm cooked rice
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 green onion, finely chopped, for garnish
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 about 8 minutes until slightly soft and caramelized.
Add the ground beef and fry briskly for about 8 to 10 minutes until beef turns brown on the surface and partiallycooks through, being sure to cover the rice cooker occasionally in the processing of cooking.
Stir in the water, cover the rice cooker, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then switch to Warm and simmer the beef for about 8 to 10 minutes until completely cooked through.
Add the cooked rice into the rice cooker and mix well with the beef and shallots. Add salt and pepper to taste while fluffing up the rice.
Keep the rice cooker at Warm for about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onions.
Egg and Shrimp Fried Rice
Substitute broccoli stems for the peas to add similar color and a hint of sweetness to the rice. Thinly slice the broccoli stems and then dice to smaller bits. Prepared in this way, they can be such a wonderful addition to many rice dishes.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 2
3 tablespoons oil, divided use
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
2 eggs, lightly whisked
10 to 12 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and diced
4 cups warm cooked rice
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
Salt and ground white pepper, to taste
1 green onion, finely chopped, for garnish
1 fresh red chili pepper, seeded and thinly sliced, for garnish
Add 1½ tablespoons of the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the garlic and peas and sauté for about 5 minutes until the peas turn tender and cook through. Dish out and set aside.
With the rice cooker still on Cook, add the remaining 1½ tablespoons of oil. When the base of the pot gets warm, add the eggs. Scramble the eggs gently in the pot.
Add the shrimp and fry for about 8 minutes until shrimp cook through (turn pink) and egg is cooked.
Add the cooked rice, soy sauce, and pea mixture to the pot and mix well with the eggs and shrimp.
Keep the rice cooker at Warm for about 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with green onion and red chili.
Cooking Tip
When cooking fried rice over the stovetop, leftover cooked rice is typically used because it has become drier during storage in the fridge. Rice with less moisture is easier to fry in a pan or wok since it does not stick to the pan or wok surface under heat. In addition, the rice grains tend not to stick to one another and so will not result in clumpy fried rice! One benefit of using a rice cooker to make fried rice is that you do not have to worry about the rice sticking to itself or to pan and wok surfaces.
Beans and Rice
To vary this recipe, substitute curry powder for the garam masala powder. You also can try different kinds of beans, such as lentils and black beans, based on your personal preferences.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3 OR 4
2 cups long-grain rice
2 tablespoons butter
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 cup diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained
2 cups water or stock
¼ teaspoon garam masala
Salt, to taste
Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice in the cooker pot with 2 or 3 changes of cold water. Drain the rice and set it aside in a separate bowl.
