Rice Cooker Wizard
for the lazy people who like rice and vegetables
Contents
Introduction
Boiled rice
Turkish rice pilav
Turkish Rice Pilav with Chick Peas, White Beans, etc..
Pilav with vegetables (fresh or frozen precut)
Cracked Wheat Pilav (with raw or with sautéed onions)
Cracked Wheat Pilav with Vegetables (fresh or frozen)
Vegetarian Sushi
Miso Soup
Steaming Vegetables with your Rice Cooker
And Noodles…
Eggplant Salad
IntroductionRice cooker is a automatic cooking appliance which goes off automatically when all the water in the cooker is absorbed by the rice. When this happen the temperature at the bottom of the pot exceeds 212 degrees Fahrenheit and the built in thermostat shuts down the appliance. Costs between $20 and $80 depending on size and the manufacturer. Non-stick rice cookers are preferable.
Rice varieties (Uncle Ben, Jasmine, Basmati, Japanese rice)
The main rice varieties found in the market are:
Uncle Ben (easy to find)
Jasmine (excellent flavor)
Basmati (excellent flavor)
Japanese rice (sticky when cooked, good for sushi )Oil varieties (use the ones with asterisk )
Butter*
Margarine*
Olive Oil*
Sunflower oil
Corn oil
Canola oilVegetable varieties (fresh or frozen)
Zucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Green Peppers, EggplantsLegumes (canned)
Chick peas, dry white beans, lentils (drain the can and wash the contents before using.)Spices and Herbs for rice
Black pepper, Dill …Food value (Calories, Protein, Vitamins and Minerals)
Butter, margarine and vegetable oils: Carbohydrates, vitamins
Vegetables: Vitamins, minerals, fiber
Legumes (navy beans, chick peas etc.).: Rich in protein, fiber
Cracked wheat and rice : carbohydrates with some protein, fiber
RECIPES
General Comments
Read the Instructions enclosed in the box of the cooker carefully. Steam can be very hot!
Plastic Cup that comes with the Cooker is half of standard measuring cup. Recipes below are with the plastic cup.The quantity of the ingredients can be changed to for larger or smaller servings keeping the rice/water, rice/vegetables proportions constant. To have softer rice add a little more water, To have rice el dente (harder) reduce the amount of water a little bit. The quantities of butter, margarine and salt can also be changed according to taste. As in all art and science experimentation is necessary for optimal taste. When the switch pops up wait 6 to eight minutes to steam the rice. Although this rice cooker has no keep warm feature it will keep rice warm up to 20 minutes. Keep leftover rice in a glass or plastic container in the fridge for micro waving later.
Boiled Riceone cup of rice
two cups of water
1/4 tea spoon of salt. As a side dish, for sushi
Turkish Rice Pilav
One cup of rice
Two cups of water
One table spoon of butter or margarine
1/4 tea spoon of salt
Turkish Rice PilavOne cup of rice
Two cups of water
One table spoon of butter or margarine
One small tomatoes cut in small pieces (if desired)
1/4 tea spoon of salt
Add chopped dill and/or black pepper if you like
Turkish Rice Pilav with Chick Peas, White Beans, etc..One cup of rice
Two cups of water
One table spoon of butter or margarine
½ or 1 cup of canned chick peas or white beans or lentils.
1/4 tea spoon of salt. Drain and wash the canned ingredients before adding to the rice cooker
Pilav with vegetables (fresh or frozen precut)One cup of rice
Two cups of water
One table spoon of butter or margarine *
One cup of cubed vegetables (eggplant, cabage, sliced green peppers, sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced carrots). Or add ½ cup of precut vegetables. Such as mixed carrots and green peas (no defrosting is necessary).
1/2 tea spoon of salt Olive oil can be used when fresh vegetables are used. Olive oil dishes are usually eaten at room temperature as most Italian, Grrek and Turkish dishes prepared with olive oil.
Cracked Wheat Pilav (with raw or with sautéed onions)One cup of cracked wheat
Two cups of water
One table spoon of butter or margarine
One small thinly sliced or chopped onion
One small tomato sliced or chopped
¼ tea spoon salt
Dash of hot pepper if you like
Thinly sliced onion can first be sautéed in 1.5 table spoon of butter or margarine and poured in the rice cooker from the sautéing pan in which case there is no need to add extra butter or margarine.
Cracked Wheat Pilav with Vegetables (fresh or frozen)One cup of cracked wheat
Two cups of water
One table spoon of butter or margarine
½ or 1 cup cubed eggplant, sliced green peppers and tomatoes, and thinly sliced carrots or any desired combination. Or add ½ or 1 cup of precut vegetables. Such as frozen mixed carrots and green peas (no defrosting is necessary).
1/2 tea spoon of salt. Olive oil can be used when fresh vegetables are used. Olive oil dishes are usually eaten at room temperature.
Vegetarian SushiJapanese Sushi rice (Nikiski ? rice)
Seaweed sheets
Steamed carrots etc..
Sushi tray made of straws Cook the rice in the rice cooker according to boiled rice recipe. Let it cool a little bit.
Place a sheet of seaweed sheet on a Sushi tray.
Spread the rice on the seaweed sheet from one end of the sheet to the other.
Insert thin slices of steamed vegetables and roll the seaweed sheet to cover the rice.
Cut across in 1.5 inch pieces and serve.
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You just need miso paste, wasabi that is dried seaweeds and tofu to make this nutritious and delicious Japanese soup.( all available on oriental grocery stores).
Add slowly four cups of hot water to 1/4 cup of miso paste so the paste is dissolved in water., add one table spoon of seaweed and 1/cup cubed tofu to your taste. Boil it two or three minutes. Miso paste is salty, so change the amount of water to have salt to your taste.
Steaming Vegetables with your Rice CookerZucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Green Peppers, Eggplants, tomatoes… Slice the vegetables and arrange them on steaming tray. Pour two cups of water in the rice cooker. Check the consistency of the vegetables with a fork. When tender shut down the rice cooker.
It looks like you can also steam vegetables while cooking rice. Try it. Just add a little bit more water.
And Noodles…Cooking noodles is easy. Just add 100 grams ( 4 ounces) of noodles to two quarts of boiling water in a non stick pot . For larger servings increase amount of water. For Italian noodles 10 minutes (el dente) to 15 minutes (soft) of boiling is necessary. Add ½ tea spoon salt to boiling water. Using a wooden spoon spread the noodles after adding to the boiling water so they do not stick together. After they are cooked stop the heat and drain the noodles using a colander. Return the drained noodles to the empty pot. For Asian noodles two to five minutes of boiling is enough, read the instructions on the package for further instructions. Asian noodles sometimes are washed in cold water to stop further cooking.
Add any of the ingredients below or any reasonable combination and mix thoroughly (amounts added depends on your taste):
One table spoon of butter( or margarine or olive oil). When olive oil is added the noodles are preferably served at room temperature as a salad.
Option 1
Add one or two cups of steamed vegetables of any kind. Cauliflower, broccoli,
spinach, carrots, eggplants, green peas. Defrost frozen cooked vegetables
Before adding to the noodles.Option 2
Add one or two whole raw eggs Because the noodle is still hot the eggs will be cooked in the noodle. If the noodle is not warm enough warm it over the low heat. Be sure that the eggs are fully cooked.Add 1/2 cup of Parmesan or any other crumbled cheese. Increase or decrease the quantity according to your taste. You can cut large pieces of cheese such as American cheese into small pieces before adding.
Store leftover noodles in the fridge and warm it using a microwave oven before serving.
Add salt and black pepper to taste. Italians also add one or two tea spoons of cream (or half and half) to improve the taste.
And Eggplant Salad
This salad is so delicious and easy to make that I had to include it here:
Ingrediends:
One large eggplant (2 pounds?)
Olive oil
Garlic (optional)
Feta cheese (optional)
Wash the eggplant, pierce it with a knife to prevent it from exploding, and cook it in the microwave owen about 8 to 10 minutes depending the power of your microwave owen. Place the eggplant in a dish to not waste its juices.
After it cools in the dish used for cooking, remove the skin (optional) by scraping with a spoon. Add 2 or 3 tablespoon of olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and crumbs of feta cheese. Mix well by hand and serve as a dip or a salad..