Other Ways To Cook With Your Rice Cooker

I was experimenting new recipes over the weekend and I came to a sudden realization that besides using the pots and pans in my kitchen, I can also put my rice cooker to use and cook delicious meals with it. One good thing about cooking with your rice cooker is that the rice cooker practically does all the cooking for you! All you need to do is some preparation plus a little patience, and voilà—your food is ready! This is especially good for busy college students and working people! Who would have thought that rice cooker of yours can cook more than just plain rice? Here are a few recipes I found and modified:

Jambalaya

• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup of water
• 1 ½ cups of white rice
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• ½ onion (diced)
• ½ any type of bell pepper (chunks)
• Shrimp and or kielbasa sausage (in chunks–as much as you like)
• 2 teaspoons of butter
• A couple pinches of salt
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cayenne pepper or jalapeno (diced)

Preparation: Set up the rice cooker, put the rice, broth, and water in.

Heat up pan over medium heat. Add a little oil and sauté the garlic, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, cayenne pepper or jalapeno for 5-10 minutes then add the shrimp and or kielbasa sausage to cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Throw everything in the rice cooker to cook!

Soy Sauce Chicken

• 1 Whole chicken
• 4 table spoons of dark soy sauce
• 4 table spoons of regular soy sauce
• 3 table spoons of rice wine
• 2-3 table spoons of sugar
• 2-3 table spoons of water
• Salt and Pepper (as much as you like)
• 1-2 green onion (diced)
• A little bit of ginger (sliced)

Preparations: Marinate chicken with ingredients overnight. Put ginger and green onion on the bottom of the rice cooker and place all the ingredients and chicken over it. Press cook and wait! After it is done, let it keep warm for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Congee (Rice porridge)

• 1 cup of white rice
• 8 cups of water
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1/3 lb pork (strips)
• 2-3 Thousand year old egg (diced)
• A little bit of ginger (julienne)
• A little bit of scallion (bits or julienne)
• A couple dashes of salt

Preparations: Put all ingredients except the thousand year old eggs. 10-15 minutes into cooking the congee, throw in the thousand year old eggs.

**Instead of pork and thousand year old eggs you can use fish or other ingredients as well. Just make sure to marinate it with a little rice wine, salt and pepper

[Photo Credit: foodnetwork.com, livingroomchef.files.wordpress.com]