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My Sweet Little Rice Cooker
when i was growing up, and discovered the joys of fried rice at the local chinese restaurant, i wanted to be able to make it at home. to my disappointment the rice turned to mushy clumps when i tried frying it. i thought the chinese had some special secret to having each grain whole and separate. it wasn’t until many years later that i learned that rice for frying needs to be made ahead and allowed to dry overnight in the frig.
when i started living on my own, i learned something else about cooking rice. the instructions on the box were wildly inaccurate, calling for enough water to turn the rice mushy and splayed at the ends. i also failed to understand why wild rice that takes about an hour to cook would be packaged together with white rice that only requires maximum 20 minutes, thereby resulting either in overcooking the white rice or undercooking the wild. after many years, i finally perfected rice from uncle ben’s to basmati, from brown to wild, from sushi to butanese red. but my number one favorite way to make rice is what i call dirty rice.
someone once posed a question to food scientist and cookbook author (and—what is the term for someone born on the same day—well there should be one—birthday mate?) bob wolke who has a most delightful column in the washington post. the question was: “what do you do with the brown stuck on bits on the bottom of the pan that result from roasting a chicken.” it was bob’s answer that endeared him to me for life: “if you don’t know what to do with them, you don’t deserve to have them—so send them to me!” of course he went on graciously to explain their virtues—an explanation i did not require since as a food lover of intense concentrated flavors, i’ve always known what to do with them. if i can resist picking them off with my fingers and eating them on the spot, i accumulate them, using a little boiling water to dissolve any remnants, and refrigerate them or freeze them. when firm, i scrape off most of the fat from the surface and add them to the water when cooking rice. The browned bits from one chicken are perfect for four servings of rice. since these drippings are salted, i use a touch less salt in the rice and adjust after cooking if necessary.
having thus perfected my rice cookery, i was somewhat shocked to discover many years ago, that my then new sister-in-law mia hayashi, fourth generation japanese american, used an electric rice cooker. she explained to me that her mother had given one to her and all her siblings because rice is a staple in the japanese diet and the rice cooker makes such perfect rice with little effort, what’s more, it can be programmed to start cooking hours ahead and keeps the rice at perfect serving temperature as well. of course i had to have one.
my first rice cooker made enough rice for about 12 servings and took up lots of counter top real estate. at first i thought the cooker was defective because a fine brown crust formed in spots at the bottom of the rice but on complaining to my knowledgeable friend david shamah, learned that this is the most prized part of the rice (see note below on reheating rice). i probably would have kept this rice cooker forever but last year, at the las vegas housewares show, a petit, beautifully shaped zojirushi rice cooker (it’s the 3 cup micom rice cooker and warmer, stainless steel #NS-LACU5XA) caught my attention in a “just have to have it” kind of way. my justification was that i could retire the big one to the country where there’s more room and have the new little one in the city. it is perfect for rice for 2 but can also make enough for 6.
i’m so glad i succumbed to temptation. unlike my old rice cooker, the stay warm function holds even after opening it more than once. the markings on the inside of the sturdy, nicely weighted non-stick container are easy to read and indicate ideal water level for different types of rice including sushi, white rice and brown rice. the instruction book wisely suggests altering the water quantity slightly depending on the age of the rice being cooked. surely this is for the american audience as when i asked my friend hiroko how long sushi rice keeps her reply was that she had no idea because in japan one only uses rice from the current harvest. interestingly this is the opposite of basmati rice—the only rice in the world that on cooking grows lengthwise rather than widthwise. in india it is customary to buy enough basmati at the birth of a child to be able to serve it at his or her wedding!
to add to the little Zo’s charm, it plays a sweet reprogrammable little tune when it starts cooking and another when it stops. i feel like i have a new playmate in the kitchen—well actually dining room—it’s too pretty to hide.
Brown Basmati Rice in a Rice Cooker
Serves: 2
brown basmati rice: 1/2 cup/3.2 ounces/90 grams
water: 1 cup/8 fluid ounce
salt: scant 1/2 teaspoon
Place the rice in a strainer and rinse it with cold water until the water runs clear.
In the rice cooker, stir together the rice, water, and salt. Cover and allow it to soak for at least 1/2 hour.
Cook until done--about 1 hour 20 minutes. Fluff and cover with a paper towel (i do this only for brown rice which tends to be a little moist immediately after cooking even when cooked to perfection in the middle). Close the lid cover and let it sit on keep warm for a minimum of 5 minutes.
Optional additions added before cooking: 1 teaspoon butter and 1 to 2 tablespoons of browned bits from a roast
Note: For white basmati rice use only 3/4 cup/6 fluid ounce water. Also allow it to soak at least 1/2 hour but it’s fine to use the quick cook setting which will take well under an hour.
Special Tip for Reheating Rice
i adore leftover rice as it gives me the opportunity to reheat it and get more crunchy crusty grains. depending on the amount of leftover you have, heat a little butter, preferably clarified, in a sauté pan or heavy saucepan. add the rice and cover tightly. turn the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes or until the bottom of the rice is lightly browned and all the rice is heated through.
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Matthew, fascinating, so now I know what I can eat as pure protein shall I land on a deserted island with only my sack of flour! Although, I am literally living like that (island) already!
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | February 13, 2008 12:58 PM #
My favorite recipe for seitan, and actually I last made it for Valentine's day last year, is something I was served at a restaurant a few years ago and I figured out the recipe so I could make it home. The seitan is cooked in mole and then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. It is surrounded by roasted root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, parsnip, etc.) and topped with more mole and sesame seeds. It is called seitan en croûte.
Thanks for the explanation of the name--that makes perfect sense. All you do is make a dough with flour and water and knead it like you would do for making bread (enough that the gluten is fully developed). Then you gently wash away all of the starch, and what you have left is the gluten structure, which you can slice into pieces and then cook. I think you usually boil it for about an hour, usually in some seasonings, and store it in that water until you are ready to use it. Then you can use it like any meat protein. You can also buy it ready made at Whole Foods and probably most Asian markets.
Yes, it is the protein part of the flour--the gluten network that forms the structure of bread. It is neat to see what is holding up your bread after you wash all of the starch away! I think it would be hard to incorporate back evenly into bread however, so it is best to use powdered gluten if you need to increase it in a bread recipe.
Reply to this Posted by: Matthew | February 13, 2008 12:44 PM #
Matthew, how do you use it? I think my Mom used to dice it and deep fry it, then use it on Jai or other Chinese stews or stir fries.
Is that how you obtain gluten? I suppose you can add it to your bread dough to increase the gluten? Is this the protein part of the flour?
Seitan sounds like washed (sei) flour (tan or fun), translated from the little Chinese language I know.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | February 13, 2008 12:20 PM #
It is mostly called seitan in the US Hector. I think every bread maker should make it once, because you get to see gluten in its purest form after you wash away all the starch in the flour.
Reply to this Posted by: Matthew | February 13, 2008 10:07 AM #
Cindy, hear from you, makes me think of my Mom!
She used to make her own Foo Jook (soybean curd sticks), rather simple to do, but it took days to gather! The taste was great, much fresher and less plastic or metallic than any store bought variety.
The left over milk was made into Tofu Fa, something I awaited patiently after harvesting the Foo Jook.
I must rediscover these soy recipes!
We also used to make "Chinese gold" by washing wheat flour dough in running water. I google this, is called wheat gluten or mian jin.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | February 13, 2008 2:17 AM #
Happy Chinese new year , Hector. You are very good to have Jai for CNY.This makes me want to make some for dinner tonight. Thanks for your greeting.
Reply to this Posted by: cindy Chiu | February 12, 2008 11:53 PM #
Happy Chinese New Year everyone!!!
Perhaps as elaborate at Ethereal Pear Charlotte, my friend Deanna dropped some Jai her Mom made. I am having it for dinner right now; my Mom used to always say to keep Jai sitting in the fridge for a week or two sitting!
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/savory/KungHeeFatChoy.html
Deanna and her lovely kids were at my Ethereal Pear Charlotte party, and indeed her photo graced our blog cover page then.
My Dad's ivory chopstics, Alessi scale, and mixer props.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | February 12, 2008 11:41 PM #
Cindy, I should have say "FDA....can cure"
Yes, I've known cilantro is good as medicine, but 'forgot' exactly for what. In Peru there is a saying "culantro es bueno para la salud pero no tanto" (cilantro is good for your health but not in excess).
Love the use of fresh, in Chinese dishes. Specially when used as a garnish for great dishes, like steamed whole fish, stews, topping soups, foul, layered pork/potato, etc. I love cilantro, and as a garnish it is displayed whole and holy, the aroma is incredible (pungent too strong for some complainers), and having it whole alone is a blessing to eat 'as is' since I adore cilantro!
Other fav uses are in Peruvian chicken or meat stews (seco de pollo, seco de carne). Basically, you make a traditional stew, but you turn the stew green with about a loose bunch of chopped cilantro. Cooked together with potatoes or yucca is incredible (many stew recipes don't call to add potatoes). In Peru, we make a cilantro/giblets watery 'rice soup' with cilantro called "aguadito;" it is a 'levanta muertos' (can lift the death) since it is believed to cure morning sicknesses or hang overs.
My bunch has been put on the freezer, which I feel always guilty to do to cilantro, since fresh is awesome.
I should make some rice cooker rice with cilantro and post here.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | January 14, 2008 10:36 AM #
Hector,
It is a lot of cilantro indeed. With the roots cut away, you have to eat it up quickly. Catonese have a soup with river fish slice , thousand year egg, preserved sweet pickle and cilantro. it is good to ease away heatness with symptom like ulcer in the mouth , coarse voice etc.
Reply to this Posted by: cindy Chiu | January 14, 2008 1:59 AM #
wasn't sure where to post this, but why not make cilantro rice a la Spanish rice (green rice)?
here is CILANTRO, grown by my grand aunt. Never before my kitchen has seen so much cilantro at once!
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/cilantro.html
FDA may give me a fine since such amount of cilantro can kill!
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | January 14, 2008 1:37 AM #
hey, rice soup is also wonderful and perhaps one of the best 'mistakes' ever invented!
sorry to hear about barbara tropp.
in Italy now, w/o Chinese rice!
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | November 6, 2007 8:31 AM #
i'm so sad to tell you that barbara died several years ago. she was a very dear friend and esteemed colleague.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 1, 2007 8:00 PM #
For directions on making perfect rice, refer to "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking" by Barbara Tropp. Perfection!!!!! I assisted Barbara in a cooking class here in Austin many years ago and she knows rice!!
Reply to this Posted by: Diana Welsch | November 1, 2007 7:51 PM #
i know! just tonight i made rice and chinese sausage in the rice cooker: 1 cup rice to 1 cup water. the bag suggested 1 1/2 cups of water. are they hoping for rice soup?! it's like they want to kill their own industry.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 1, 2007 7:35 PM #
Some of my worst cooking nightmares come from rice...and those terrible cooking directions on the bag...grrrr.
Reply to this Posted by: Sherry | November 1, 2007 6:49 PM #
bon voyagio hector caro! sorry you couldn't take the kitchen aid. but if you were planning to leave it there surely they have one? oh well-
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 1, 2007 9:42 AM #
Elicia, Cindy, and ROSE, I am leaving this country with great inspiration and motivation from all the nice things you say.
Mandarin peels, soy sauce, books, now I am really inspired. I always complained to my Mom of everything she cooked and prepared, but I always watched everything she did. Now her reincarnation has just began on me! My brothers are getting together for Thanksgiving at THE YELLOW KITCHEN, and we plan to share some dim sum if not making a few ourselves.
But sorry to change topic, not sure where to post. Heading to Italy in a few minutes, taxi is picking me up at 5 am to head to the airport. None of my eating dinner friends would dare to show up this early to give me a ride! It is 4 am Thursday. I arrive 4 pm Friday! I am already having blog withdraws...
Here are the first pictures of this journey. I managed to pack 2 Perfect Pecan Pies (my first trial, need to work more on getting the filling shimmery clear). I was going to take my KA Artisan and leave it for Luca's Mom, but could not find a power converter, plus I found no room. Airport security knows that I am the baker passing thru the gates, and I blunt it.
Be back on the 17th, just in time to continue Rose's Celebrations Thanksgiving menu.
Oh, I am also packing Keiko (my sourdough starter), 8 quarry tiles (yes, I could easily buy a pizza stone there, but shopping for it can waste 1 day of traveling), and my little infrared thermometer.
Arrivederchi, Choi Kin, Adios!
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/ItaliaMajare2007/index.html
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | November 1, 2007 9:08 AM #
i told hecotr the same thing! he definitely has a book in him (probably many books!)
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 1, 2007 7:47 AM #
Lately been so tied up that I only read the comments here most of the time! But I must say - Hector - the soy sauce story is amazing! I'm also cantonese! You're blessed to have such a great cook in your Mom - am sure you have sweet memories of her. One day, you shld write a biographical oriental cookbook in honour of your mom - after all, you take great pics, write in the most delicious detail, and is a great cook yourself!!
BTW, we also make the dried mandarin peel ourself - saving the peels from chinese new year!!
Reply to this Posted by: Elicia | November 1, 2007 7:29 AM #
That is a great great idea!!
Sorry that your mom passed away, you must miss her so much as I miss my father.
The dry orange peel can be very pricy but usually affordable for daily use at home or we can dry our own. When in season,we can buy the fruit and peel them carefully and thread it to dry. Sometimes we cannot finish so many of them ,the flesh are discarded . The dry orange peel is a vtial ingredient in making a very common dessert ,sweet red bean soup (hung dau sha), There was a joke about some notorious restaurant that is cunny and they recommend the costomer to have sweet red bean soup with "aged" orange peel and the customer do not aware of the trick and only when he receive the bill ,he is charged a very unreasonale price. I take this as a quote to illustrate how priceless "aged" orange peels can be, it should be safe to try this dessert in most restaurants in HK and China and it is recommended.
Reply to this Posted by: cindy Chiu | October 31, 2007 9:45 PM #
Oh Cindy, I do remember the dried mandarin orange peels, never knew it was so precious, I just remember my Mom was always extremely carefully when peeling fresh mandarin oranges to make nice dry peel.
My uncles now live in Hawaii. I have a few far aunts living in Mainland China, I've met them briefly a couple of times when they came to visit my Mom. My Mom passed in 2004.
If there is enough interest, we can have a blog convention in Hawaii!
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | October 31, 2007 9:09 PM #
i am, but i always wanted to be chinese!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | October 31, 2007 9:04 PM #
My mom was from Guangzhou (as spelled in Mandarin) but she spoke mostly Cantonese and Jaka. My Mom actually spoke many dialects, including Mandarin, Saki, etc, etc. I knew who she was talking to when hearing her speak on the phone!
Big Chinatown is on Island of Oahu. Maui is mostly touristic.
I've never visited China or Asia! Amy Tam said that you become chinese when visiting china!
Rose, you must be jet lagged!
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | October 31, 2007 8:58 PM #
i have to report that i ate so much delicious dim sum in ny chinatown today that i never was hungry for dinner. (whoever said that chinese food leaves you hungry an hour later by the way!)
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | October 31, 2007 8:48 PM #
Oh , Hector, She comes from southern China. That make me very excited. Does she speak Cantonese or the dialet so do you understand Cantonese? My parents came from Canton, a place called "sun Woo" (my translation )where the mandarin oranges are very famous for dry orange peel.The aged dry peel can cost as much as gold. My grandfather generation was in HK and my mother came to HK through marriage. we still have lots of relative in the mainland ,mainly on my mother's side. Now that travelling back is so easy, my mother can see her sisters and friends as often as she can.It is just a ride on a bus for an hour or so. Are your mother and uncles still in China and HK? The big China town in Hawaii, do you mean in Maui island? I had been to Hawaii(maui) during my honey moon and was with a turist group. I don't think I visited the China town. If I am travelling by myself , I always visit the China town ,to try the food there at least. I found the food of NY chinatown best so far.I shall have that of Hawaii on my list.
Reply to this Posted by: cindy Chiu | October 31, 2007 8:44 PM #
Cindy, glad you read the recipe. My mother was from the south of mainland china. Been the eldest child, she was left on mainland china with her grandma when Mao arrived, her parents and brothers fled to Hong Kong. It is interesting, my Mom was very 'red' (she used that word referring to mainland chinese people at that time) but my uncles are very HK!
In Hawaii we have a huge Chinatown with all the imports. Lots of soy sauce. NONE, tastes like my Mom's. It is on my to do list, haven't made it yet. Store bought soy sauce is mostly sugar, molasses, yeast, and soy extract, I am unsure if all brands still do the natural fermentation process. Home made soy sauce is very thin, light brown like tea, not sticky, not sugary, very very salty, and has a nice earthy flavor, it is comparable to the commercial soy sauce that you don't find often which has no molasses (lau chu vs san chu, something like that).
The wonders of food in our universe.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | October 31, 2007 8:25 PM #
Hector, that is amazing. I still remember when I was young, my mother and the aunties next door will prepare a lot of things for winter like the dry vegetable that were hanging on the beam.They are for soup, right? Others will be dry duck gizzard,dry pork etc but I have never heard people making their own soy sauce. We made some sweet wine out of glutinous rice and the rice paste left can be used to make desserts.As I was under the British education system, I do not pick up too much from my mom or aunties.Which part of China does your mother come from, southern or northern? Are you still making your own soy sauce in Hawaii? I would say it is a lot of work but if the result are good ,may be it is worth the effort. AS I live in HK at this moment.People always buy what they need and there are not many people who will cook let alone making the raw materials. As for me , I always think it is part of life and appreciate this art very much. Thanks for sharing.
Cindy
Reply to this Posted by: cindy Chiu | October 31, 2007 8:08 PM #
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/SoySauce.html
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | October 31, 2007 6:26 PM #
The other day Rose asked me to 'teach' her how to make Chinese sausage with rice on the rice cooker. The question triggered a series of Chinese food topics, one of them soy sauce.
Hope you enjoy this excerpt I wrote. It is the empirical version of Soy Sauce Recipe that will be on my upcoming book!
I was just sorting thru the pictures of my family to find the moon cake picture, and was going to tell you that the best soy sauce is the one you make yourself!!!!!!!! My Mom and her friends did, yearly during the summer months, and would bottle enough for the rest of the year (funny, like the Italians making their own wine). So, I can't tell you what is my favorite brand since really I don't buy much of it. Currently, I get the Hawaii brand called Aloha Shoyu, light sodium or regular, people that left Hawaii always ask me to bring some with me when I go visit. It is a light soy sauce (without much molasses).
It isn't that hard to make your own soy sauce. You boil soy beans (dried beans) until cooked but not popped, drain, then while still hot knead in some flour that has some leavening (all purpose, not self rising), unbleached, enough flour to make everything look powdery (kinda plenty, half and half I think). Knead it until the beans are popped, but still whole, like a wet bread dough consistency. Spread this on large wire racks lined with cheese cloth, about 2 inches thick as big as a rack you have. Fold the cheese cloth over until it is well covered. Preferred to use flour sacks, boiled, instead of cheese cloth. It needs to be something pretty "organic" as it will help the fermentation process (thus using unbleached flour, too).
Now place this in a hot room that gets heat up during the day, fairly dry room, not moist. We had this top bedroom on our top floor without an insulated roof, and we kept all the windows closed. It was hot. The room was as storage room and was never dusted, you need all this 'natural' air germs to start that fermentation. If everything goes well, in about 2 or 3 weeks, the beans would have fermented but also dried out. No worms. My Mom would check every now and then, you need the beans to dry in about 1 week, otherwise the worms will appear. She got it down to a science with the amount of water/flour, and with the temperature of the room (she will open the windows every now and then to let things air out for a few hours).
So now, you have this wonderful fermented, but dry soy bean 'cakes.' Powdery white like flour, and moldy gray/green/cream from the fermentation. It does not smell rotten. The cakes are tough and almost impossible to break apart.
Get those giant lemonade glass jars (about 24 quarts big). Fill it with boiled water room temp and salt, regular iodized salt is ok. So much salt that it will no longer dissolve and you see it precipitating on the bottom of the water. Fill the jar only 1/2 full. Now add about 1/3 of the soy bean cakes, broken to fit thru the jar, but try to keep them in big pieces that will float and not touch the bottom (horizontal floating pieces, not vertical sunken ones).
The fun now begins, place the jar outdoors, where direct sun hits it. Must be summer. Every night, or every time it rains, you cover the jar with a lid or plate. If rain water gets into it, it will spoil. Add more boiled water room temp as things evaporate (sometimes up to 300% times. We tried to build a clear roof on top of the jars, so we wouldn't have to cover them each night or protect them from the rain, but the flavor wouldn't be the same. Needs direct sun to hit it. I know how to make soy sauce because each night and each morning I had to do this job.
Water will turn darker and darker. After 3 months (summer is over), the water will resemble black tea. Strain, boil, and bottle. Things don't need to be sterile since there is so much salt!
When you boil the soy sauce, you can add molasses to turn it into dark soy sauce. But my Mom will never do that because you mask the true flavors! Better to add molasses when you cook with it.
I still have the taste of true soy sauce on the tip of my tongue, the way my Mom and her friends made it. It was very very salty, so technically not great to taste alone or as a dip with ginger chicken. But for cooking, or diluting or turning it into a dark soy sauce, it was magic!
When you have time, you can comment on this, I think you can find the science behind this empirical recipe, and I would very much so like to know.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | October 31, 2007 6:25 PM #
I made 'quick spanish rice' by cooking fresh carrots and frozen peas with Rose's Celebrations wonderful glace de volaille.
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/GlaceDeVolaille.html
This is my first dish made with the wonderful glace de volaille, and... the best 'quick spanish rice' I've ever tasted.
I have to confess that when reconstituting the glace de volaille, it starts smelling and tasting like a Chinese clear soup my Mom often made, those with tons of dried vegetables from all the kingdoms in nature. But when finally diluted and presented on its final form, the glace de volaille turns into the most multidimensional flavor enhancer there is. I just don't know how else to describe this new multi-dimensional flavor!
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | September 16, 2007 6:38 PM #