We just got a Cuisinart Rice Cooker/Steamer for Christmas. I've never had one of these before. It came with some recipes, but most of them take like 15 ingredients! And pretty much all of them did not sound very appealing to me.
Does anyone have any simple recipes for rice & something steamed? We love chicken, so something with chicken would be great.
Also, it has charts for how much water & rice to use, and how long to steam different types of foods. It says you are supposed to start the rice, and then at the right time add the food to be steamed so that the rice & steaming are done at the same time. It just says to use the charts to determine the timing. My problem is, how long is the rice supposed to cook??? If I don't know how long it is supposed to take, how am I supposed to know when there's only 15 mins left? lol
Thanks for any tips and recipes you can share!
My rice cooker doesn't have a timer, but it usually takes the same amount of time as stovetop -- usually about 20 minutes for one cup of rice and two cups of water.
Well, the following recipe takes about 20 minutes cooking time:
2 cups water or home-made vegetable stalk.
1 cup basmati rice.
1 cup frozen sweet peas.
1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels.
1/2 cup fresh cut bell pepper (any color).
1/2 cup fresh cut or fried red onions.
3 tablespoons garlic powder.
1 tablespoon paprika.
4 chicken boullions.
8 cloves.
2 tablespoons butter.
Enjoy with plain yogurt .... yum, yum, yum!!
S., I always add a couple of chicken boullion cubes or a few tsps. of the granules. Then I add 1/2 cup of shredded (with a potato peeler) carrots, green onions, and sometimes about 1/3 cup of orange juice (not from concentrate). You can add whatever vegetables, chicken or whatever you think will suit your taste.
Congrats on your new rice cooker. Dont go crazy looking for recipes, there's no recipe god that will get mad if you deviate. :] Start with what you like and go from there - precooked meats, fresh or frozen fruits and veggies, etc.
All rices are different as well - basmati is the staple of Indian cuisine & and a quick cooker, while short-grain brown rice is a staple of Asian meals and takes much longer to cook.
I go thru allrecipes.com for a lot of inspiration for my cooking, but I don't think I've ever made the same thing twice, and the kids really seem to enjoy that.
If you're local, you will enjoy shopping at two of my favorite ethnic stores - Spices of India on nw 39th & Portland, and Super Cao Nguyen off of nw 23rd & Classen. Both have the rices you'll want for better-than-grocery-store prices, and you will also get alot of ideas for dishes to use them with, and all the spices you wont find at your local store.
If you dont feel comfortable deviating from a formal recipe just yet, try googling "rice cooker recipes" for a host of sites that will get you started. Once you're comfortable with the times each food types cook then you can do whatever you're in the mood for.
Indian-style rice dishes are typically called a "biryani", and Asian flavors can be found under "stir frys". Hawaiian and Island dishes usually incorporate some kind of fruit. I've also done rice dishes with southwestern spices (you can even add beans for a meatless dish), and casserole styles with chicken, homemade mushroom soup (super quick and easy), and carrots & brocolli.
The best thing to remember is there's no real way to "mess it up". If its undercooked, just cook it longer. If its underseasoned, just add some more flavor (you can cook the rice with any form of stock instead of water for example). I hope this helps :]
Hi S.,
Lucky you...what a nice gift to receive. I belong to a cooking group (website) that has dozens of food specific groups to belong to. The website is MixingBowl.com I'm pretty sure there is a rice cooking group...but if there isn't you can start one and others will join and start adding a variety of recipes. If you drop by stop in and say hi...my screen name there is shortnsweet.
Happy New Year!
W. Q
Most rice cookers use the same proportions of rice and water as you would cooking it on the stovetop - 2 parts water to one part rice. Most of them also have a timer on them - see the owners manual for how long to set the timer.
You don't want to try to steam chicken or any other kind of meat at the same time you are steaming vegetables. The vegetables will be done long before the meat, and meat steamed to doneness will be rubbery and tasteless and the color will not be appetizing..
What I do is steam just the vegetables - use whatever vegetables your family likes. I cook the meat separately with whatever seasonings/spices I want in the dish, then combine them when serving.
