The 50 Best Rice Cooker Recipes Tasty, fresh, and easy to make! Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. Avon, Massachusetts Contents Introduction Basic Long-Grain White Rice Rice Congee Salmon Pancakes Chicken Satay Skewers Creamy Mashed Sweet Potatoes Dim Sum Steamed Tofu Sweet Corn and Carrot Chicken Soup Green Tea Miso Soup Kimchi Soup Shrimp Tom Yum Rice Vegetable Biryani Pumpkin Rice with Pork Shrimp and Scallop Congee Pork Congee Sweet Potato Congee Beef and Mushroom Pasta Ginger Shrimp Pasta Salad Sausage and Spinach Pasta Summer Soba with Green Onions Mushroom and Celery Stir-Fry with Glass Noodles Steamed Fish with Lemongrass Ginger Codfish with Coconut Sauce Pineapple Shrimp Curry Pan-Fried Butter Scallops Chinese Spice Tea Chicken Pea and Pepper Chicken Stir-Fry Kimchi Pork Braised Pork Belly Pumpkin Curry with Beef Pepper and Basil Beef Easy Chickpea Curry Black Bean Cakes Spicy Egg Curry Indian Omelet Summer Breakfast Frittata Spinach and Mushroom Tofu Sweet Peanut Tofu Curry Pepper and Onion Tofu Scramble Tofu Patties Buddha’s Favorite Veggie Stew Asparagus Scallop Stir-Fry Kale and Mushrooms Okra Stew with Peppers Three-Mushroom Soup with Barley Hot Mushroom Curry Ginger Soy Mushrooms Spice-Glazed Sweet Potatoes Asian Rice Pudding Sweet and Spicy Mango Chutney Rice-Stuffed Egg Rolls Also Available Copyright Page Introduction The rice cooker was considered a kitchen revolution when it was invented in Japan in the 1950s as it changed the lives of many homemakers in that country, where cooking rice in traditional ways was time-consuming. How versatile is the rice cooker? You can steam, stew, stir-fry, braise, sauté … almost like a portable stovetop! You can cook in the rice cooker the same way you cook with a pan on the stove, since the rice cooker can generate its own heat. Many of your daily recipes can be easily adapted to rice cookers. In fact, much home cooking is gradually moving away from the rigidity of traditional recipes and advocating improvisational cooking as an even quicker and easier way to make everyday meals. Building on successful meals is not difficult as long as the dishes can be deconstructed into basics: ingredients, taste, balance, flavors, and the correct techniques. Similarly, rice cooker cooking also starts with building a foundation — the correct technique; then you can make changes by experimenting. Such little experiments in each recipe will allow you to learn new flavors every day, and hopefully allow you to improvise and be creative in the process of working with your new tool. For those who already own a rice cooker and are already using it, mainly to cook rice and simple dishes, there is a much larger variety of recipes to explore, from nourishing soups to hearty meals. For those who do not yet own a rice cooker and are thinking of getting one, this can be a good starter guide on how to use the rice cooker for these fifty simple and appetizing recipes. Bon appétit! Basic Long-Grain White Rice While brown rice is cooked with a 2 : 1 water to rice ratio, long grain white rice water to rice ratio is less — 1.5 : 1. For best results, use cold water and unplug your cooker while you let the rice rest for a few minutes at the end. Serves 2 Ingredients 1 cup long-grain white rice 11⁄2 cups water 1. Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice in the rice cooker pot with 2 or 3 changes of cold water. Drain rice. 2. Add the 11⁄2 cups water to the cooker pot. The water should cover the rice by about 1⁄2 inch. Place the pot back into the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. Time to cook varies with the type of rice cooker used. 3. After rice is cooked, do not open the cover immediately. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes to vent off the remaining steam. Fluff up the rice before serving. Rice Rinsing When rinsing rice, gently swirl the rice in the pot with 2 or 3 changes of water, draining off the water each time. It is not necessary to rinse until the water is completely clear, as nutrients may be lost in the rinsing process. Rice Congee A common breakfast porridge enjoyed in many Asian countries, congee is more forgiving when it comes to how much water you use. Adjust according to whether you prefer a thicker or thinner cereal. Serves 2 Ingredients 1 cup long-grain white rice 3 to 4 cups water, according to desired consistency 1. Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice in the cooker pot with 2 or 3 changes of cold water. Drain rice. 2. Add 3 to 4 cups water to the pot, cover, and set to Cook. When you hear the rice cooker making noises and see over-bubbling of fluid at the lid, lift up the rice cooker cover, stir the congee, and continue to cook for about 15 minutes with rice cooker lid tilted slightly to vent the steam pressure. 3. Continue cooking and adjust water amount depending on whether you prefer thick or soupy rice congee. Mix Up Your Grains You can use different rice grains (red, brown, and white) when cooking rice or rice congee to introduce different flavors and texture. However, cooking two or more kinds of rice grains together can be challenging, as they will require different amounts of water and different