The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook (15 page)

Cooking Tip

For creamy and smooth egg gravy over savory dishes, do not allow the eggs to cook on high heat, either in the rice cooker or in a pan on the stovetop. Turn down the heat and stir in the whisked egg slowly, using chopsticks to stir the eggs in one direction. This technique is often used when making Chinese egg-drop soup, in which the egg is added during the last few seconds of cooking.

You can substitute rice vermicelli for the noodles in this dish. Before using the vermicelli, soak in warm water to soften it. No cooking is required for the softened rice vermicelli prior to stir-frying it.

1. Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, and water in a bowl. Set aside as sauce.
   

2. Season the pork with dark soy sauce, pepper, and Chinese cooking wine and set aside to marinate in the fridge while preparing noodles and the rice cooker.
   

3. Add 5 to 6 cups water to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the water boils, add noodles and stir gently to prevent sticking to the base of the pot. Allow noodles to cook until al dente. Drain the noodles and set aside.
   

4. Clean out the rice cooker and wipe dry. Add oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the rice cooker gets warm, add the pork and fry for about 8 to 10 minutes until pork surface turns brown, covering rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying. Dish out and set aside. Leave the remaining oil in the pot.
   

5. Add the shallots and garlic to the pot and fry about 5 minutes until shallots turn slightly soft.
   

6. Add the cabbage and carrots and mix well. Cover the rice cooker and cook for 5 minutes or more until the vegetables become slightly soft and tender.
   

7. Add the sauce mixture, 1 cup of water or stock, and the pork. Mix well, cover the rice cooker, and allow it to come to simmer. Once simmering, add salt to taste, switch rice cooker to Warm, and continue simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
   

8. Add the cooked noodles and white pepper. Mix well and allow to simmer, covered for about 5 to 8 minutes until gravy reduces. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
   

This noodle dish is a Peranakan or Straits Chinese favorite. In Peranakan culture, nyonya refers to the female descendants of early Chinese immigrants. There is no special reason why this dish is named Nyonya-Style Noodles. Perhaps it's just that the females are known to be good cooks.

1. Add the water to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the water boils, add the noodles to blanch. Stir gently to prevent sticking to the base of the pot. Blanch for about 1 minute until noodles are separated. Drain the noodles and set aside.
   

2. Clean out the rice cooker and wipe dry. Add oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the rice cooker gets warm, add the garlic and mashed salted soybeans and fry for about 5 minutes until fragrant.
   

3. Add the cabbage and shrimp and fry for 5 to 8 minutes until vegetables become slightly soft and shrimp cook through (turn pink), covering the rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying.
   

4. Add the yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, bean sprouts, and shrimp stock. Mix well, cover rice cooker, and let it simmer about 3 to 5 minutes. Switch to Warm and allow simmer for 5 to 8 more minutes. Season with salt and white pepper. Garnish with green onions and serve.
   

Cooking Tip

The best noodles for this dish are the fresh yellow noodles usually found in the refrigerator section in Asian supermarkets, alongside the wonton wrappers and tofu. However, fresh yellow noodles may be hard to find. If unavailable, use spaghetti noodles. Cook spaghetti noodles as you normally would and use them as required in the recipe.

Substitute bok choy or choy sum for the Kai Lan. Broccoli or broccolini make good substitutions as well.

1. Season the chicken with soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, and sesame oil and set aside to marinate in the fridge while preparing the vegetables and noodles.
   

2. Add the water to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the water boils, add the Kai Lan and blanch for 30 seconds. Dish out and set aside.
   

3. Cover the rice cooker and return to a boil. When boiling, add the noodles to cook, stirring gently to prevent sticking to the base of the pot. Allow noodles to cook for 5 minutes or till they are firm yet not overcooked. Drain the noodles and divide them among the serving plates. Top the noodles with the Kai Lan.
   

4. Clean out the rice cooker and wipe dry. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the rice cooker gets warm, add the shallots and fry for about 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the garlic and fry for about 3 minutes until fragrant.
   

5. Add the marinated chicken and the mushrooms. Mix well and fry for 2 minutes until chicken surface turns brown, covering the rice cooker occasionally in the process of cooking.
   

6. Add the water or stock, cover the rice cooker, and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. When simmering, add the pepper, switch to Warm, and continue simmer for 5 minutes or more until chicken cooks through and the sauce slightly reduces (thickens).
   

7. Ladle the chicken mushroom sauce over the noodles and serve immediately.
   

Substitute thin strips of chicken for the beef and green beans for the broccoli, if preferred.

1. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the rice cooker gets warm, add the ground beef and fry for about 10 to 12 minutes until the beef completely cooks through, covering the rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying. Dish out and set aside, leaving the remaining oil in the pot.
   

2. Add the garlic, black bean sauce, broccoli, and water to the pot and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until vegetables become tender, covering the rice cooker occasionally in the process of cooking.
   

3. When vegetables are tender, add the noodles, soy sauce, and half the green onions. Mix well.
   

4. Return the beef to the pot and mix well with the noodles. Garnish with remaining green onions before serving.
   

Cooking Tip

Rice stick noodles are also known as flat (wide) rice noodles, and are available fresh or dried in supermarkets. Rice stick noodles tend to stick together during stir-frying, and it may be hard to separate the strands in the rice cooker. Whether the noodles are fresh or dried, soak them in warm water before stir-frying to soften and loosen up the strands. Substitute cooked instant Chinese noodles if preferred.

If the fish fillet is thick, it may take a longer time to steam and cook. Cut a few slits on a thicker fillet so the time required for steaming is about the same as it would be for a thinner fillet.

1. Mix ginger, cilantro, sesame oil, lime juice, and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside as sauce.
   

2. Fill the rice cooker pot with water to about the 4-cup mark. Cover the rice cooker and set to Cook.
   

3. Place the fish on a shallow plate that will fit in the steamer insert or basket and pour the prepared sauce mixture over the fish. Cover the top of the plate with plastic wrap, to prevent excess condensation during steaming. Allow fish to marinate until the water in the rice cooker boils.
   

4. When the water in the rice cooker boils, place the steamer insert or basket with the plate of fish into the cooker. Steam for 8 to 10 minutes until the fish cooks through, keeping the rice cooker covered during steaming.
   

If Japanese brown beech (buna shimeji) mushrooms are not available, substitute fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced.

1. Season the fish with salt, white pepper, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, and grated ginger. Set aside to marinate while you go on to the next step.
   

2. Fill the rice cooker pot with water to about the 4-cup mark. Cover the rice cooker and set to Cook.
   

3. Place the tofu pieces on a shallow plate that will fit in the steamer insert or basket. Top with the mushrooms and half of the green onions, and place the marinated fish on top. Cover the top of the plate with plastic wrap, to prevent excess condensation when the fish is steamed.
   

4. When the water in the rice cooker boils, place the steamer insert or basket with the plate of fish into the rice cooker, and steam for 10 to 12 minutes until the fish cooks through, keeping the rice cooker covered during steaming.
   

5. Garnish with red chili, remaining green onions, cilantro, and fried shallots.
   

Animal, Vegetable, and Soy Protein Sources

Although vegetable and soy proteins are relatively low in fat, they are considered incomplete proteins because they do not have a balanced combination of all the amino acids. Animal protein such as fish, on the other hand, is considered a complete protein.

Use luncheon ham or honey-baked ham according to your preference. Bacon strips cut into smaller pieces can be used as a substitute as well. However, bacon typically has a higher salt content than ham, and should be used sparingly.

1. Cut 2 or 3 slanted slits on the fish. Season fish lightly with the salt, white pepper, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, and grated ginger. Insert ham slices and mushrooms into each slit. Set aside to marinate while you go on to the next step. Also set aside any remaining ham and mushrooms.
   

2. Fill the rice cooker pot with water to about the 4-cup mark. Cover and set to Cook.
   

3. Place the fish on a shallow plate that will fit in the steamer insert or basket and scatter the remaining ham and mushrooms over the plate. Cover the top of the plate with plastic wrap to prevent excess condensation when the fish is steamed.
   

4. When the water in the rice cooker boils, place the steamer insert or basket with the plate of fish into the rice cooker, and steam for 12 to 15 minutes until the fish cooks through, keeping the rice cooker covered during steaming.
   

5. Garnish with green onions before serving.
   

In this recipe the lemongrass releases a very light citrus aroma in the process of steaming. Lemongrass combines well with the cilantro, ginger, garlic, and shallots.

1. Season the fish with the salt, white pepper, Chinese cooking wine, and grated ginger. Set aside to marinate while you go on to the next step.
   

2. Fill the rice cooker pot with water to about the 4-cup mark. Cover and set to Cook.
   

3. Place the fish and lemongrass on a plate that will fit in the steamer insert or basket. Cover the top of the plate with plastic wrap to prevent excess condensation when the fish is steamed.
   

4. When the water in the rice cooker boils, place the steamer insert or basket with the plate of fish into the rice cooker, and steam for 8 to 10 minutes until the fish cooks through, keeping the rice cooker covered during steaming.
   

5. Garnish with green onions, cilantro, and red chili before serving.
   

Sustainable Fish Sources

Visit
www.seafoodwatch.org
and download a pocket guide of sustainable seafood sources. Take the pocket guide along when you go shopping for groceries. Your next fish selection and purchase will be a smart one.

Bird's eye chili pepper, just about one inch long, is fiery hot. Bird's eye chili adds significant “heat” to many Southeast Asian food recipes. You can substitute red chili pepper, depending on availability and personal preference.

1. Mix the Thai chili sauce, yogurt, lemongrass, chili, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside as sauce.
   

2. Season the fish with the salt and white pepper. Set aside.
   

3. Fill the rice cooker pot with water to about the 4-cup mark. Cover and set to Cook.
   

4. Place the fish on a shallow plate that will fit in the steamer insert or basket. Cover the top of the plate with plastic wrap to prevent excess condensation when the fish is steamed.
   

5. When the water in the rice cooker boils, place the steamer insert or basket with the plate of fish into the rice cooker, and steam for 8 to 10 minutes until the fish cooks through, keeping the rice cooker covered during steaming.
   

6. Drizzle prepared sauce over cooked fish before serving.
   

Ginger eliminates the “fishy” smell that comes from steaming fish. It also adds a special flavor, zest, and aroma to this simple dish.

1. Season the fish with the salt, white pepper, Chinese cooking wine, and sesame oil. Set aside to marinate while you go on to the next step.
   

2. Fill the rice cooker pot with water to about the 4-cup mark. Cover the rice cooker and set to Cook.
   

3. Place the fish on a shallow plate that will fit in the steamer insert or basket. Top the fish with the ginger and green onions. Surround the fish with the tomatoes. Cover the top of the plate with plastic wrap to prevent excess steam condensation during steaming.
   

4. When the water in the rice cooker boils, place the steamer insert or basket with the plate of fish into the rice cooker, and steam for 8 to 10 minutes until the fish cooks through, keeping the rice cooker covered during steaming.
   

Health Benefits of Ginger

Ginger is a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese. It is also known to stimulate gastric juices, and provide soothing effects for colds and coughs.

Fish oil is beneficial to overall health as it provides omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, which is readily available, is an excellent food source of this essential nutrient.

1. Cut 2 or 3 shallow slanted slits on the fish. Season both sides of the fish with salt and black pepper, and then pat both sides with corn flour.
   

2. Add oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the salmon and pan-fry on one side, for about 5 to 8 minutes, keeping the rice cooker covered until salmon cooks through (turns pinkish-orange).
   

Substitute shiitake mushrooms with a medley of white and brown beech Japanese mushrooms. These mushrooms are subtly earthy and go very well with the sauce.

1. Season both sides of the fish with salt and white pepper, and then pat both sides with ½ teaspoon of the corn flour.
   

2. Mix ¼ cup of the water, remaining corn flour, grated ginger, and Chinese cooking wine in a bowl. Set aside as sauce.
   

3. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the fish fillet and pan-fry each side for 3 to 5 minutes, with rice cooker covered when frying each side. When fish is cooked (turns opaque), dish out and set aside. Leave the remaining oil in the pot.
   

4. Add the green onions and mushroom slices to the pot. Fry about 8 minutes until the mushrooms turn soft, covering rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying.
   

5. Add the remaining water, cover the rice cooker, and allow to simmer for about 2 minutes.
   

6. Add the prepared sauce mixture, return the fish to the pot, cover the rice cooker, and simmer for 5 minutes until fish completely cooks through, switching to Warm if mixture bubbles too vigorously. Lift rice cooker lid and continue to simmer until sauce reduces (thickens).
   

7. Drizzle sesame oil over the fish and serve.
   

Chinese black beans are soybeans that have turned black under fermentation in salt. The flavor is intense and may be considered pungent by some. Chinese black beans (in bags) or black bean sauce (in jars) can be found in many Asian markets or in the ethnic and international section of many supermarkets.