1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter in the rice Add the tomatoes, stock, and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Serve hot.
rice pilaf with fresh peas
Rice has a natural affinity for peas. Food writer Bert Greene once remarked that fresh peas in the pod will eventually be as rare and as expensive as truffles. With due respect, this wonderful recipe should be made exclusively when fresh peas hit the market; frozen peas just will not taste the same. This recipe is made with two different rices, to give the pilaf a firmer texture than if it was made with all medium-grain rice, which is stickier.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 3 to 4
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 tablespoons minced celery
1½ cups chicken stock
1 cup fresh peas
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup long-grain white rice
½ cup Italian Arborio or California medium-grain rice
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter in the rice bowl. When melted, add the shallots and celery. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, peas, salt, and rices; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
carrot basmati pilaf
The distinctly orange root of the carrot has been a common ingredient in both Eastern and Western kitchens for centuries. It has been a cultivated vegetable for 2,000 years. This Indian-style rice is slightly sweet and ends up looking like it is studded with vibrant jewels, with the bits of carrot strewn throughout. Serve with simple roasted meats.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee (clarified butter;)
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 cup white basmati rice
2 to 3 carrots, cut into thin strips or very coarsely grated
1½ cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Grated zest of 1 small orange
½ teaspoon honey
⅛ teaspoon salt
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter in the rice bowl. When melted, add the shallots. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and carrots and cook, stirring a few times, until all the grains are evenly coated and hot and the carrots have softened slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, cardamom, red pepper flakes, orange zest, honey, and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 15 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
french pilaf
Once the French decided they liked rice, they adopted the method of sautéing the rice first with shallots—one of the stalwart members of the onion family but less assertive than onions and garlic—then braising the rice in a rich broth. The result is sophisticated and heartwarming food at its best, characteristic of french cuisine in general. This is an all-purpose pilaf and this recipe can easily be cut in half for two people, with some leftovers to reheat the next day.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 6 to 7
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
½ cup chopped shallots
2 cups long-grain white rice
3¼ cups chicken stock
½ teaspoon salt
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter in the rice bowl. When melted, add the shallots. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring a few times, until all the grains are evenly coated and hot, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Serve hot.
riz persillé
Parsley, persil, is a Mediterranean herb that is cultivated literally all over the world and is a favored seasoning in many cuisines. Appealing to the palate, it is also appealing to the sense of smell, mildly refreshing without being overassertive. We prefer the Italian flat-leaf parsley, as it lacks the fibrous nature of curly-leaf parsley. Rice with parsley is good with all sorts of roasted meats and poultry. If you have an orange tree in the backyard, go ahead and grate a bit of the zest into the rice at the end when adding the butter and parsley.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 3 to 4
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or onion
1 cup long-grain white rice
1¾ cups water
Pinch of salt
Splash of Tabasco sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, to your taste
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place 2 tablespoons of the butter in the rice bowl. When melted, add the shallots. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring a few times, until all the grains are evenly coated and hot, about 10 minutes. Add the water, salt, and Tabasco; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, stir in the parsley and the remaining ½ tablespoon butter using a plastic or wooden rice paddle or wooden spoon. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with the rice paddle or spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
rice pilaf with fresh herbs
If you like to cook, sooner or later you will experiment with growing your own herb garden, whether in a corner of the yard or in pots. In lieu of this, head on down to the supermarket or farmer’s market, where an astounding array of nice fresh herbs in little bundles awaits your impulse to cook this rice. Summer or winter, beef stock or chicken stock, each time you make this rice, it will taste just a little bit different. If you find a favorite combination, be sure to jot it down in the margins so that you are able to re-create it at a moment’s notice.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 3 to 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup diced shallots
1 cup long-grain white rice
1¾ cups chicken, beef, fish, or vegetable stock
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup minced mixed fresh herb leaves (any combination of tarragon, dill, chives, Italian parsley, thyme, savory, oregano, marjoram, chervil, and watercress)
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook
or regular cycle. Place the oil in the rice bowl. When hot, add the shallots. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring a few times, until the rice turns opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, salt, and herbs; stir just to combine. Place the garlic clove in the center of the rice, close the cover, and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, remove and discard the garlic. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
arroz negro
From a recipe in Jacquie McMahan’s self-published book, Healthy Mexican, comes what we consider the original dirty rice. It uses leftover black bean liquid, slightly viscous and protein rich. As Jacquie describes it, be prepared for a delicious surprise. Use the liquid from cooking black turtle beans (with an extra cup of water added to the cooking pot) or the liquid drained from canned beans, thinned with a bit of water, although, as usual, homemade is best.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced 1 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1¾ cups black bean liquid
3 tablespoons cooked black beans
½ teaspoon salt
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the oil in the rice bowl. When hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring a few times, until it turns ever-so-slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, black bean liquid, beans, and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
green pilaf with baby spinach and endive
The baby spinach that is available now in super markets is tender and sweet—and nice and clean. Belgian endive is a small, tightly packed head of pale, elongated leaves with green tips; it has a slightly bitter quality. If you can’t find it, use watercress, with the stems removed. Gently cooked at the end of the cycle, the greens make a bright-colored, fresh-tasting pilaf.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 3 to 4
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup long-grain white rice
1¾ cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup packed chopped spinach leaves
¼ cup chopped endive
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter in the rice bowl. When melted, add the rice. Cook, stirring a few times, until all the grains are evenly coated and hot, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. About 10 minutes before the rice finishes cooking, arrange the spinach, endive, and parsley on top of the rice to steam.
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, stir the greens into the rice using a plastic or wooden rice paddle or wooden spoon. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with the rice paddle or wooden spoon. Serve immediately, drizzled with a bit of the olive oil.
riz à l ’ indienne
We don’t know anyone who doesn’t like the colorful, flavorful array of Indian food. The basis of the aromatic kitchen is spice blends, or masalas, selected and ground fresh for every dish. In the West, we have curry powder, a shortcut that evokes but does not equal real Indian spicing. Curry powder contains a blend of nine standard ingredients: turmeric, ginger, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, and cinnamon. This is a nice pilaf to serve with the simplest of roast poultry preparations and egg dishes.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 3 to 4
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 tablespoon mild or hot curry powder
⅔ cup peeled, cored, and chopped apple
1¾ cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Pinch of salt
1 small bay leaf
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter in the rice bowl. When melted, add the shallots. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and curry powder and cook, stirring a few times, until all the grains are evenly coated and hot, about 10 minutes. You will be able to smell the curry. Stir in the apple. Add the stock, parsley, and salt; stir just to combine, then tuck in the bay leaf. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Remove the bay leaf. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Serve hot.
brown butter apricot and pinenut pilaf
“Oh phooey, an extra step!” you say when you read through this recipe. But we assure you that taking the time to sauté the nuts and letting the butter get a bit brown will make a big difference in the final flavor. This pilaf, dotted with scrumptious dried apricots, is positively addictive and a real favorite.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
1 tablespoon walnut or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup diced shallots
1 cup long-grain white rice
1¾ cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup chopped dried apricots
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in the rice bowl. When the butter is melted, add the shallots. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring a few times, until it turns opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. While the rice is cooking, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small sauté pan. Add the pine nuts and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until evenly browned. The butter should be richly browned but not burnt. Set aside.
3. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, add the pine nuts in their butter and the apricots. Close the cover and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Serve immediately.
note: If need be, this pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours, but do not add the pine nuts and apricots until 10 minutes before serving.
riz oriental
Riz Oriental is a favorite in the Provence region of france. It takes its name from the faraway countries of the Orient, but also from the dictionary definition of oriental, namely, something of superior value or the method of cooking rice from the East. Everything goes in the cooker at once, the way we like it.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 heaping tablespoons finely chopped shallots or onion
1 cup long-grain white rice
1¾ cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried currants or golden raisins
¼ cup slivered blanched almonds
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter in the rice bowl. When melted, add the shallots. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring a few times, until it turns opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, salt, currants, and almonds; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
2. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. This pilaf will hold on Keep Warm for 1 to 2 hours. Serve hot.
mexican rice
Tomato-based Spanish rice, arroz a la Mexicana, is a real standard in every Mexican home or restaurant kitchen. There are as many recipes as there are cooks, so Beth went to Jacquie McMahan for advice. “Always fresh tomato,” she canted, “and not too much.” She uses pure ground New Mexico chile for a kick; in lieu of that, you can use a mixed chili powder, which also includes cumin and a few other spices. In central Mexico, this rice would be served with a topping of finely diced potato, carrot, and peas that have been tossed in a bit of vinegar and oil.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
⅓ cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup long-grain white rice, such as Texmati or Uncle Ben’s converted
½ cup peeled and chopped fresh tomato
1¾ cups water (2 cups for Uncle Ben’s)
2 teaspoons pure ground chile or chili powder (we use Grandma’s)
½ teaspoon salt
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the oil in the rice bowl.
When hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring a few times, until it turns ever-so-slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato and sauté a bit longer. Add the water, chile, and salt; stir just to combine. Close the cover and reset for the regular cycle or let the regular cycle complete.
The Ultimate Rice Cooker Page 16