The Ultimate Rice Cooker

by Julie Kaufmann

  ¼ cup Sharon’s Dashi

  1 tablespoon sake

  1. Place the kampyo in a bowl with the salt and 2 tablespoons of the water. Knead it with your hands for a few minutes, rubbing the salt into the strips. Add the remaining 1 cup of water and let soak for 20 minutes.

  2. Massage the softened kampyo strips with your fingers, smoothing out any that are curled up. Drain the salted water from the bowl, add fresh cool water to the bowl, and massage the kampyo underwater to remove as much salt as possible. Drain and rinse again.

  3. Place the kampyo in a small saucepan with the sugar, soy sauce, dashi, and sake.

  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the kampyo (not the pan) with a circle of parchment paper cut just a bit smaller than the diameter of the pan; a small saucer; the lid to a slightly smaller pan; or an otoshi buta, a flat wooden drop lid designed to keep simmering items submerged and yet allow some steam to escape. (They are sold in several sizes in Japanese markets or hardware stores.) Let the kampyo cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed. The kampyo will be shiny and amber-colored. It should be tender, not rubbery; if it’s not tender, cook it longer. Drain.

  4. When the kampyo is cool enough to work with, line up the strands on a cutting board, and dice.

  grated carrots

  1 large or 2 medium-size carrots

  1½ cups Sharon’s Dashi

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  1. Peel and grate the carrots.

  2. Bring the dashi and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the carrots. When the liquid returns to a boil, immediately drain the carrots and run cold water over them to stop the cooking.

  seasoned shiitake mushrooms

  6 large dried shiitake mushrooms

  ½ cup Sharon’s Dashi

  ⅓ cup soy sauce

  ¼ cup sugar

  3 tablespoons sake

  CLICK TO SEE ALTERNATE TOPPINGS FOR CHIRASHI SUSHI

  1. Place the mushrooms in a small bowl;add warm water to just cover. Let the mushrooms soak until softened, 2 to 4 hours at room temperature. (If you are short on time, soak in hot water for 1 hour, or cover the bowl of mushrooms and water tightly with plastic wrap and micro wave for 2 minutes on high. Allow to cool before proceeding.)

  2. Drain and cut the mushrooms into 1.8inch-wide strips, or as thinly as possible, discarding the stems.

  3. Combine the dashi, soy sauce, sugar, and sake in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the mixture boils, add the mushroom slices and stir. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the mushrooms (not the pan) with a circle of parchment paper cut just a bit smaller than the diameter of the pan, a small saucer, the lid to a slightly smaller pan, or an otoshi buta, a flat wooden drop lid designed to keep simmering items submerged and yet allow some steam to escape. (They are sold in several sizes in Japanese markets or hardware stores.) Let the mushrooms simmer slowly for about 20 minutes. Most of the liquid will be absorbed or evaporated and the mushrooms will have turned a caramel color. Drain any remaining liquid.

  peas

  1½ cups Sharon’s Dashi

  1 teaspoon salt

  One 12-ounce package frozen petite peas

  Bring the dashi and salt to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Add the peas and cook briefly, about 1 minute, just until thawed and separate. Drain the peas and cool quickly under cold running water.

  snow peas: Substitute 2 cups snow peas, trimmed of tough strings and sliced on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

  japanese omelet

  2 large or extra-large eggs

  1 teaspoon sugar

  1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine) or sake (for a less sweet omelet)

  Pinch of salt

  1 teaspoon mild vegetable oil

  1. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl with the sugar, mirin, and salt.

  2. Coat a 10-inch nonstick skillet with the oil. Heat the skillet over low heat. Pour in the egg mixture, cover the skillet, and cook, undisturbed, until the egg is set but not browned, about 2 minutes, or longer, if needed.

  3. Flip the omelet out of the pan and onto a cutting board. (If the omelet is cooked through, it should pop right out.) A perfect omelet will be all yellow, with no browned spots.

  4. When the omelet is cool enough to handle, cut into 2-inch-wide strips. Stack the strips and slice into thin slivers.

  THE BASICS: RISOTTO IN THE RICE COOKER

  There are three distinct steps to making risotto: cooking the onion and rice, adding the stock and other ingredients, and adding the butter and cheese to finish, known as “creaming.” Note that Arborio rice is never washed; you want all the starch to make the creamy dish just right.

  1. Risotto must be made by first sautéing chopped onion in butter (or half butter and half olive oil), then sautéing the rice in the hot fat. You can sauté the onion and rice right in the rice cooker bowl before adding the liquid; then it will just finish cooking on the Porridge or regular cycle. If you have a nonstick rice cooker bowl, you can use a bit less fat.

  Place the butter, in pieces, in the rice cooker bowl. Set the bowl into the machine body. Plug in. Set the rice cooker to start the Porridge or regular cycle (use the Quick Cook cycle if your regular cycle has a built-in soaking period). The butter will melt in 1 to 2 minutes. Leave the cover open or off (some cookers will shut off if the cover is left off). Add the chopped onion, leeks, or shallots; cook until soft and any liquid they exude has evaporated, stirring a few times. Add wine, if using, and cook to burn off the alcohol, a minute or two. Add the measured amount of rice to the hot fat and stir with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. The rice will gradually heat up and gently sizzle. Stir occasionally, and gently, with the wooden spoon or rice paddle. Give the rice a full 3 to 5 minutes to cook and coat the grains, just like for a pilaf. This precooks the outer coating of the rice to keep the grains separate and release their amylopectin, while slowly absorbing and cooking in the aromatic stock later on.

  2. Add the stock and any other ingredients as specified in the recipe. Stir a few times. Close the cover and reset for the Porridge cycle, if your machine has it, or the regular cycle. While cooking, open the cooker once or twice and stir gently, but this is optional. If you are using an on/off cooker or one without a Porridge cycle, set a timer for 20 minutes to time the cooking.

  3. At the end of the Porridge cycle or when the timer sounds, turn off the machine or unplug it to stop cooking. If the risotto is too thick, add ¼ to ½ cup stock; if it is too soupy, allow it to cook longer, checking at 5-minute intervals. When the rice is al dente and the texture is like that of oatmeal, it is ready. Stir the risotto a few times, adding the butter and cheese, if using. Serve immediately in shallow soup bowls with more Parmesan cheese for sprinkling (use as much as you like) and the pepper grinder. If you’re not ready to serve, you can hold the risotto on the Keep Warm cycle for up to an hour, stirring in the butter and cheese right before serving.

  Use the following chart to help adapt your own risotto recipes to the rice cooker.

  A NOTE ABOUT STORAGE

  Some sushi, especially that containing raw fish, is eaten soon after it is made. But other types of sushi, especially inari zushi or the Osaka-style chirashi sushi, can be made hours ahead. Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature. Don’t refrigerate unless absolutely necessary; the rice will harden.

  A NOTE ABOUT RAW FISH

  Many sushi recipes call for the use of raw fish. You would be crazy to go to the supermarket, casually buy a piece offish from the case, and go home and slice it up raw for sushi. Only the freshest, cleanest (and we’re speaking microscopically here), best quality fish that has been meticulously monitored at every step in the supply chain is deemed suitable to be eaten raw. If you are lucky enough to live in an area with a good Japanese market or to have some Japanese friends who like to make sushi, no problem. Go to the market and ask for sushi-quality fish, or ask your friends where you should buy it. Maybe
your local sushi bar will sell you some. It will be expensive, but you don’t need very much. Always eat raw fish the day it is purchased. If sushi-quality fish is not available in your town, content yourself with the many kinds of sushi that do not involve raw fish. You can make a huge and delicious array of dishes with cooked fish and seafood, vegetables, and eggs.

  SOME FILLINGS FOR MAKI SUSHI

  Cucumber: Japanese cucumbers are small, slender, and less watery than the American or even the long English ones. If you can’t find Japanese cucumbers, the English variety is a good substitute. To cut them for sushi: Cut the unpeeled cucumber on the diagonal into slices about ¼ inch thick, forming long ovals. Stack the ovals and cut into thin matchsticks. If you use English cucumbers, you may want to let the pieces wait for you on a double layer of paper towels so that any extra moisture is absorbed.

  Radish sprouts: These long white sprouts topped by delicate green leaves make a tasty, slightly spicy addition to sushi rolls. To use, trim away the roots, then wash the sprouts by swishing them gently in a bowl of cold water. Let dry on a double layer of paper towels.

  Broiled eel (unagi kabayaki):Unagi kabayaki is eel that has been steamed, broiled, and seasoned with a slightly thick, slightly sweet sauce. This procedure is considered to be beyond the scope of most home cooks, but fortunately, you can buy already prepared unagi frozen or canned. To use frozen unagi, place the unopened package in a pot of boiling water that is large enough to hold it. Boil the package for 10 minutes, covered, then remove from the water. When the package is cool enough to handle, cut it open and remove the eel. To slice for sushi, cut the eel crosswise into pieces 2 to 3 inches wide. Then cut each piece lengthwise into thin strips (about ⅓ inch wide). It is okay to eat the skin. Eel and cucumber (use plenty of each) is a classic sushi combination called unakyu. (You can eat any leftover eel with plain rice as a simple donburi.)

  Shiitake mushrooms: Dried shiitake mushrooms are softened by soaking in water, then seasoned by simmering in a small amount of flavorful liquid. They are a very tasty and popular sushi filling. To prepare 8 medium-size dried shiitake mushrooms: Place the mushrooms in a small bowl; add water to just cover. Let the mushrooms soak until softened, 2 to 4 hours at room temperature. (If you are short on time, soak in hot water for 1 hour, or cover the bowl of mushrooms and water tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes on high. Allow to cool before proceeding.) Squeeze any liquid from the mushrooms, reserving it. Cut the tough stems from the mushrooms and slice the mushrooms into matchsticks. Slowly pour the mushroom soaking liquid into a small saucepan, being careful to leave any grit behind in the bowl. To the saucepan add about 2 tablespoons each sake, mirin (sweet rice wine), and soy sauce. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and, if desired, ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or ½ cube). Add the mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove the mushrooms from any remaining liquid.

  If you want to use fresh shiitakes for sushi, skip the soaking step and season by cooking them with sake, mirin, and soy sauce as above, adding a bit of Dashi, if needed.

  Scrambled eggs: Finely crumbled, seasoned scrambled eggs are popular as a rice topping as well as a sushi filling. They are a lot easier to make than the thin Japanese omelets. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl with ½ teaspoon potato starch (also called potato starch flour; do not use regular potato flour! If you don’t have an Asian market in your town, you can find potato starch with the kosher foods in large supermarkets), ½ teaspoon water, 2 rounded teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 drops soy sauce. Coat an 8-inch skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the skillet over high heat. When it is hot, add the egg mixture and cook, stirring with chopsticks or a spatula to break up the egg into firm but tender fine crumbles. Let cool before using.

  Raw tuna: If you can buy sushi-quality tuna in your town, by all means go ahead! It makes simple and delicious maki. Just cut the tuna into strips the thickness of a pencil. You can add radish sprouts if desired. One-half pound of tuna will fill 6 rolls very generously.

  ALTERNATE TOPPINGS FOR CHIRASHI SUSHI

  Toasted Sesame Seeds

  Iri gomi are readily available in Asian groceries and convenient to have around for sprinkling on anything, even plain rice. They are pan-toasted for this dish, even though they are already toasted, as toasting them again enhances the flavor considerably. This is an alternative topping instead of the kampyo.

  ¼ cup Japanese toasted sesame seeds (iri gomi)

  Place the sesame seeds in a small, dry skillet over medium heat and shake the pan until evenly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes.

  Kamaboko (Japanese Fish Cakes)

  Kamaboko are steamed fish cakes, often with the distinctive pink-dyed edges. They are sold fully cooked and can be found in the refrigerator section of Asian markets. This is an alternative topping instead of the kampyo. Cut half a kamaboko into thin strips.

  the whole-grain COOKER

  Basic Pearled Barley

  Basic Brown Barley

  Four-Grain Pilaf

  Japanese Barley and Rice

  Basic Couscous

  Prune Couscous

  Zucchini Couscous

  Israeli Couscous with Orange

  Basic Farro

  Farrowith Shiitakes

  Basic Buckwheat Groats

  Kasha Varnishkes

  Basic Millet

  Basic Quinoa

  Orange Dessert Quinoa

  Basic Rye Berries

  Mary’s Rice and Rye Pilaf

  Basic Wheat Berries

  Wheat Berry and Wild Rice Pilaf

  Basic Bulgur Cracked Wheat

  Bulgar Wheat Pilaf

  Basic Wild Rice

  Wild Rice with Dried Cherries and Scallions

  Wild Rice and Bulgur with Leeks and Toasted Almonds

  Wild Rice with Fennel and Dried Cranberries

  There is a saying that good things come in small packages. Well, when it comes to grains, including rice, that is an understatement. They come in diminutive packages, ready to contribute to your health and well-being like no other food. The cereal grasses—wheat, maize (corn), rye, millet, buckwheat, barley, and rice—are the building blocks of civilization, for with their domestication begins the history of the world and enough dependable, high-powered fuel food to feed it.

  The history of grains reaches far back into the ancient, unwritten past, with humans gathering the fruits of wild grasses for food. The great cultures of antiquity grew up from the prehistoric times around cereal grain–growing areas, referred to as hearths of domestication, giving rise to the many scholarly debates about when and why our ancestors turned from being hunters and gatherers to settled agriculturalists. Surprisingly, the invention of agriculture arose independently in very diverse locales at the same time. All practical implications aside, there can be no generalizations on the complex factors that brought primitive humans to tilling the earth and domesticating principal grain crops. It is even postulated that the deliberate planting of seeds of native wild grasses was an act that had magico-religious motives. Simply speaking, life as we know it would certainly be impossible without cereal grains.

  Early civilized life is mostly chronicled from the fecund environments in easily cultivated areas such as the rich river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates, the Lower and Upper Nile in Egypt and Abyssinia, the Yang-shao in China, and the Indus in India. Based on archaeological evidence and plant genetics, by the time Egypt and Sumer on the Euphrates River were fledgling civilizations, wheat and barley were long considered the staff of life in Europe and the Middle East, rice was the central grain of southern China and India, and maize and quinoa flourished in the tropics of Meso-America and South America.

  Grains have been tireless travelers, spreading around the globe overland by horseback and camelback, over and through the air by the winds and in the beaks of birds, by sea clipper, and in the carefully guarded pockets and pouches of wanderers on foot. From pots cooked over open fires and woodstoves to our plug-in ri
ce cooker, you can safely consider these grains as a gift to us from these ancient cultures. Amazingly enough, they have been cooked in the exact same manner for all time. Only the cooking vessel has evolved.

  Just as you cook rice in your rice cooker, you can cook whole grains. You use exactly the same technique, which is to press the reg-ular/ Brown Rice cycle button. The machine does the rest. Be prepared for different aromas and very different textures; each whole grain has a character unto itself. Terms such as “groat” and “berry” are references to the hulled whole grain. If the bran layer on the grain is especially tough, a soak may be in order to help with the cooking. If you end up with whole grains that are too wet, just drain off the excess water as if you were cooking on the stovetop. If your grains are too dry, drizzle them with another ¼ cup water and continue cooking or leave on the Keep Warm cycle. As with rice, if you turn off the machine and leave the lid closed, the inherent warmth of the environment will keep your grains warm for an hour.

  basic pearled barley

  While most of the barley grown in this country goes to brewing beer, you can still find pearled barley on most supermarket shelves. It is called pearled barley since, when cooked, it looks just like little pearl seeds. A favorite in soups because of its comforting digestive quality, pearled barley is a nice alternative to rice, works well in a grain and rice combination, and can be cooked like risotto. Barley is also great in salads or stuffed peppers. Pearled barley is hulled, so it is very white, needs no soaking, and cooks in under an hour. It is not the same as what is sold as “Quick Barley,” which is precooked and dried, and cooks up very mushy. You want barley to be chewy.

  MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;

  fuzzy logic or on/off

  CYCLE: Regular/Brown Rice

  YIELD: About 3 cups; serves 4

  1 cup pearled barley

  2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water

  Pinch of salt

  1. Place the barley in the rice cooker bowl. Add the water and salt; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular/ Brown Rice cycle.