Free The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook by Hui Leng Tay Page A

Raita
    This condiment, which is popular in Indian cuisine, is easy to prepare. Drain 1 cup peeled and thinly sliced cucumber on paper towel. While the cucumber is draining, stir ½ teaspoon cumin and ½ teaspoon salt into ½ cup plain yogurt. Add sliced cucumbers to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Serve as a good cooling partner with spicy curries.
Yellow Rice
    This dish is also known as Nasi Kunyit. Kunyit is a Malay word for turmeric, which is the ingredient that gives this rice its yellow color. Traditionally, sticky glutinous rice is used when making Nasi Kunyit. This recipe uses regular long-grain rice instead, as that variety is most common and popular in many homes.
    INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3 OR 4
    2 cups long-grain rice
    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
    3 cardamom pods
    1 star anise pod
    1 teaspoon turmeric
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    ½ teaspoon salt
    2½ cups water
Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice in the cooker pot with 2 or 3 changes of cold water. Drain rice and set aside in a separate bowl.
Clean out the rice cooker pot and wipe dry. Add the oil to the rice cooker pot, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise and fry for about 5 minutes until fragrant, covering rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying.
Add the rice, turmeric, cumin, and salt to the pot and mix well.
Add the water and cover. Cook until rice is done. (Cooking time varies with the kind of rice cooker used. Most automatic rice cookers will switch to Warm when the rice is cooked.)
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.
Chicken Rice
    This is sometimes touted as the national dish in Singapore, initially brought in by the immigrants from Hainan, China. Because its roots are in Hainan, this dish is also known as Hainanese Chicken Rice.
    INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3 OR 4
    4 cups cold water, or more as needed to immerse the chicken
    ½-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced for use in stock
    3 green onions, cut into finger-length pieces, divided use
    1 pound chicken (thighs and drumsticks, or half a whole chicken)
    2 cups long-grain rice
    2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    3 cloves garlic, crushed
    1 teaspoon grated ginger, for rice
    3 screwpine leaves, cleaned and knotted together
    3 cups reserved chicken stock
    Salt, to taste
Add the water to the pot, cover, and set to Cook. When the water boils, add the sliced ginger and half the green onions. Completely immerse the chicken in the pot; cover and return to a boil.
Switch the rice cooker to Warm and allow to simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, lift up the rice cooker lid and skim the top of the stock.
Switch the rice cooker to Cook and again return to a boil (this should take about 6 to 8 minutes). Then switch to Warm again, and allow the chicken to simmer, covered, for another 30 minutes.
Strain the contents of the rice cooker over a large bowl. Reserve the chicken stock; chop the chicken to bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Rinse rice well by gently swirling the rice with 2 or 3 changes of water. Drain rice and set aside in a separate bowl.
Clean out rice cooker and wipe dry. Add the oil to the rice cooker, cover, and set to Cook. When the base of the cooker pot gets warm, add the minced garlic, grated ginger, screwpine leaves, remaining green onions, and the rinsed rice. Fry the mixture for about 2 minutes, until fragrant, covering rice cooker occasionally in the process of frying. Stir in 3 cups reserved chicken stock gradually and add salt to taste. Cover the rice cooker, set to Cook, and cook the rice until completely done.
After the rice is cooked, do not open the cover immediately. Let it sit for 5 minutes to vent off the remaining steam. Fluff up the rice before serving. Serve with the chopped chicken.
    Cooking Tip
    There are two essential tips for moist and tender chicken in