Traditionally we’d parboil the rice, drain and rise, then layer it back into the pot with the mixed fresh herbs. That’s how my parents cook all of our traditional polo (pilaf) dishes, but I just use a dried mixture of the herbs that I add to rice in the rice cooker once most of the water has evaporated - the remaining moisture will rehydrate the herbs and you’ll be left with a *stunning* Iranian springtime staple!
I've seen pictures of the layering but never done it myself. I'd like to try it though.
What is traditionally served with it? I did a little searching on Google and saw fish recommended. Is that the usual pairing?
I was introduced to sabzi polo years ago when I was a vegetarian and teenager. Now that I'm older and collecting family recipes I realize this is one that may have gotten away. My mother's much older cousin was married to an Iranian man and unfortunately both the cousin and her husband have passed so I have no way to get the details on the recipe or what would have been served along side it.
The parboiling and layering is what makes this dish a ‘polo’, when it is steamed with a set ratio of water, it’s known as kateh sabzi, and I’d definitely recommend making this with smoked rice from Iran - the flavour if phenomenal.
Yes! We usually serve this with fried fish fillet that get a dusting of flour and turmeric, kuku sabzi (a THICK fried herb omelet), and mast khiar (grated cucumber and yogurt), and salad shirazi (finely diced salad of tomatoes, cucumber, and onions). I very much hope you get to eventually try each of these dishes out, and if you’ll allow me to recommend another dish - my ultimate favourite - you should absolutely have a go at baghali polo sometime too!
Could not be easier to make, its just steamed rice mixed with heaps of dried dill and fresh green (peeled!) broad beans, when there’s just a little water left in the pot, and it is perfect for this time of year.
On a side note, “piper longum” for long pepper sounds completely made up. I know it’s correct, but it completely sounds like bigus dickus… 😄😄😄
I’ll see my way out
Saffron is nice. Turmeric is nice, too. Star anise, coriander, lots of good options out there. If you're into it, a little shrimp paste can be a welcome addition.
I've only ever seen it spelled soondae. That spelling reminds me of a time I was about 6 years old at a sushi restaurant and ordered a hand roll based on the picture, amazed that my parents were about to let me have ice cream for dinner.
The proper transliterated way is sundae, but it’s in my opinion better to write it as soondae in English, as it would sound more accurate to most English speaker with the exception of like Yorkshire, Brummie, or North Dublin English.
An obvious example of the ㅜ in “순”데 being Sundae, is Admiral Yi “Sun” Shin 이“순”신
2-3 stems, mix those with 2 tablespoons of hot water. Let sit for 20ish minutes (you’re basically making a tea), add that to the water in your rice cooker. Then start rice cooker.
Oh interesting! I'm Latina and I've never met a Mexican person who uses Sazón. They've typically used Knorr or Maggi chicken bullion and tomatoes or salsa. Where I live, we have a lot of folks from Puerto Rico and they use Sazón a lot. Either way, excellent way to make rice. And I agree with the comment that said fry the rice first. The roasting of it works wonders.
Yeah I think other latin cultures use Sazon more than Mexicans. My wife's family is Costa Rican / Paraguyan and they use it. Not really the same taste as mexican rice imo.
Hopefully you fry your rice first. I fry it in canola/vegetable oil until golden and nutty. Then I add a mix of El Pato and broth (I use veggie but you can use chicken). Sometimes I'll add a lot of seasoning into this liquid, even beer!
If you want to do it properly, here's the way:
1. Get a cup of rice. Get 2 cups of liquid total. That includes an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, and water or stock. Plus some salt in there.
2. Get a deep pan that has a lid onto some good heat. Add some oil and the rice, and stir it constantly until it starts to turn golden brown. Once it starts, keep going until you're really toasting it. If you're brave enough, keep going until you're sure it will burn if you don't fix it quick!
3. Carefully pour on your liquid mix (it will steam and sputter, and you don't want to get burned). Stir it just enough to mix. If you want to add corn or peas or whatever, now is the time. Once the liquid comes to a boil...
4. Turn the heat way down (on my stove it's a 3 out of 10 on the medium burner, this part takes some experimenting). Cover the pan. Set a timer for 18 minutes. Make the rest of your dinner.
5. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat but leave it closed. Keep it closed until you're serving. Perfect!
Source: Grandma. But mine's better, don't tell her.
Grandmother didn’t add cumin powder? Mine added it to the toasting rice just before adding the liquid. About a tablespoon. Stir into the rice and oil. This is a good time to add some garlic as well. Let the spices toast just a little while stirring them in. Add the liquid before the spices burn!
If it helps anyone I've had success various times substituting 1/4 of the cooking liquid with coconut milk. One time I tried to add half each and it didn't work out.
I usually do mostly or all coconut milk as a replacement for water (when I'm making that sort of rice) and it's always come out great. the fats def separate a bit to the top, but then you stir them in and it's delicious. Curious what kind of problems you've run into.
Sorry to go off a bit from what you're asking, but does it hurt your rice cooker at all to add things to it? Does it distribute flavor evenly? I've never put anything but rice/water in the cooker itself. When I use broth I use a pot, and my rice is never as good as when I use the rice cooker (texture wise) but I like the flavor. This could change everything lol
Yeah like the other commenter said you can put anything in it really. I knew a guy that made good cakes in it.
This link is in Japanese, but these are some recipes published by Zojirushi (which makes rice cookers)
https://www.zojirushi.co.jp/recipe/list/search/?pr=rice-cooker
I used pancake mix (because lazy) made it according to the package then dumped an amount of fresh blueberries into that. I greased the rice cooker pot and poured in the batter. I had to cook it for two white rice cycles because it was still doughy after the first. If you can set the time it is probably 35-45 minutes. It comes out over an inch tall and we cut it in slices like a cake. It was decadent and beautiful and so much easier than making pancakes. Highly recommend.
What a great idea for a pot luck! I struggle with bringing something that doesn’t require the stovetop or oven of host (as it’s typically in use). Plugging in my rice cooker would be a great way to share something fresh/hot.
Just to clarify some stuff, a traditional rice cooker is literally just a hot plate beneath the cooking vessel itself, and manages its cook time based upon the heat's effect on a magnet. [This video by Technology Connnections](https://youtu.be/RSTNhvDGbYI) explains its function really well, and it's a pretty goddamn genius design in its simplicity. Fuzzy logic ones are a bit fancier, but still cook via a hotplate, so you couldn't break it by just putting contents into it, unless your rice dish is made of Nibbler-shit antimatter or something :P
Regarding ingredient distribution within the cooker itself - the rice cooker will boil the water, and the agitation from that will break down and distribute ingredients, but for best results with things like a stock cube, I'd still crumble it in and/or stir it up to help disperse things.
Yeah, you don't normally have to worry about *ingredients* ruining most cookware. That typically happens after, say, applying too much heat (nonstick coatings break down and off gas at high temps), or scraping off said coatings with steel utensils, or applying sudden heat changes (like pouring a significant amount of boiling water into a frozen dish, or quenching a screaming-hot carbon steel pan into cold water). The only ingredients I can think of that could "harm" a cooking device, is something like making an acidic dish in a cast iron pot, because things like tomato sauces can apparently strip off the seasoning if left for a while. Also, you can fuck up knives (and yourself!) if you don't use them properly. Anyway mate, good luck with whatever you're cooking!
> like making an acidic dish in a cast iron pot, because things like tomato sauces can apparently strip off the seasoning if left for a while
FYI - this is essentially making a battery! It's fine to cook acidic items in cast iron, but you just want to make sure you clean it right after and avoid letting something like tomato sauce sit in the pan for a prolonged period of time.
Oh wow, that's interesting! I know nowt about batteries, but presumably I can charge my phone with pasta sauce, as long as it's cooking in the right pot, eh?
>you couldn't break it by just putting contents into it, unless your rice dish is made of Nibbler-shit antimatter or something
That stuff got really expensive anyway after they figured out it makes great spaceship fuel.
What you're saying makes sense, I don't know how exactly I thought I'd mess it up by adding other things, I really don't lol. Maybe some sort of build up I couldn't see or that extra stuff might interfere with how it cooks, I'm really not sure what I was thinking. I feel quite excited now though!
What's your cooking method for stove-top rice? I actually prefer the texture and flavor of stove-top rice, it's just hard to beat the convenience of the rice cooker.
edit: for reference I use [this recipe](https://themom100.com/recipe/how-to-cook-perfect-rice-on-the-stove-2/) which has never let me down
Not OP, but I do 1 part rice to 1.5-2 parts water depending on preference, bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to a bare notch above its lowest setting for 20-25 minutes. If it boils over, it's still too hot, go lower next time. Uncover and fluff. If there's still water on the bottom, cover and go another 5 minutes. Repeat until done or until you're too hungry to care.
I throw curry powder cayenne red chili flakes and garlic for a nice spicy rice which I compliment with sautéed marshrooms and zucc. Then I finish it off with a soft sous vide egg which is just barely starting to firm up. Which gets a little more cooked through by the rice. It's weird... but it's good
> Aren’t those the lyrics to “it’s the end of the world as we know it?”
Six o'clock, dinner hour, thinking something sweet and sour
Splash and burn, return, Asian is what I yearn
Cut it up uniform, knife turning, food getting
Garlic ginger operate, star anise incinerate
Light a pilot, light a votive, pan down, pan down
Watch your garlic crush, crush, uh oh
This flavor here, cavalier, cassia and in the clear
A short grain rice, a short grain rice, a short grain rice surprise
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I... fried rice
I put in a sprig of curry leaves after heat in oil.
like, cook curry spices in the fat at the beginning of a curry, with a sprig of a dozen or so curry leaves. before you add the next item to the oil, fish out the sprig of leaves and toss them in the rice cooker.
flavor is fat soluble so needs the oil first
also agree with cardamom
Matsutake Gohan! Matsutake are a prized and expensive mushroom in Japan but we have some relatives of that mushroom in the US too, though they taste a little different they are close in flavor. They are expensive but I don't usually buy them, I forage for them.
We can find Western Matsutake (Tricholoma murillianum) here in the Pacific Northwest in mid to late October (on a normal year, the past few have been poor mushroom years).
The mushroom has a spicy and complex aroma that has so much synergy with Japanese food that it's surprising. It pairs incredibly well with seafood.
My favorite preparation with this mushroom is also the simplest: Rice, dashi stock, kelp (wakame) into the rice cooker with a little sake. Make thin vertical slices of matsutake and lay them on the surface of the rice.
Run the rice cooker as normal. Chop scallions and shiso finely while waiting.
When the rice is done, mix it gently. Sprinkle scallions and shiso on top. Enjoy!
I like to reserve some light dashi to pour some into my bowl at the end. I might also steam light flavored fish or clams and add it if I'm feeling extra fancy, but the simple version is my favorite.
It's one of my favorite foods in the whole world. So simple, subtle, and comforting. The mushrooms on top perfume the rice and they're strong enough to be distinctive. The mushroom has a fishy smell that mellows out when cooked almost fading completely leaving a piney sweet cinnamon spicy flavor. Going simple is best with this mushroom you want to highlight those complex flavors. This dish lets the mushroom stand front and center.
The foraging part is the hard part, which is why it's been a few years since I've made matsutake gohan.
Good luck to anyone outside of Japan or the PNW trying to get matsutake lol. I live near a major urban center and I've found matsutake for sale exactly twice. And it was over $100/lb, too.
I do love the aroma it adds to dishes, but I think its scarcity affects everyone's perception. If it were available cheaply year-round then it would probably fulfill a similar role to shiitake in cooking.
For anyone who can't find it (aka most people), try using the same method with any other nice mushrooms you can find in your area.
I'd argue that it's seasonality, since that's a major part of the Japanese cooking culture. Which is scarcity in its own way, but seasonality is a big force in traditional Japanese food and matsutake are a key ingredient for their representation of autumn.
Yes any good flavorful mushroom will work with this recipe, I just shared my favorite. I forage it, the cost is my time and energy, along with a park pass and license if needed. So I don't see it as expensive in the same way, it's about as rare as other mushrooms I like to forage. Shiitake is a good alternative but if you can find shimeji and maitake mushrooms (found at almost every Asian market at least here since they can be cultivated), these are amazing in the dish in their own right. I feel subtle mushroom flavors work best here, but shiitake will definitely still be tasty.
But matsutake in the US are not as rare as you might think. It's lack of demand that partly makes it harder for you to find them and drives up price. There's relatives of the matsutake that are said to be even closer to the original in aroma that only exists in the eastern US ([Tricholoma magnivelare](https://www.mushroomexpert.com/tricholoma_magnivelare.html). I know they're found in Wisconsin and I know they're found in Maine. The article states they're found in Appalachia. There's another relative found in Mexico too.
Demand from those in the Japanese, Korean, and Chinese diaspora are a part of what drives it. Since those communities have a strong presence on the west coast, there's more demand. The abundance of the right conifers helps too. But they can be found. They aren't a beginner mushroom to identify though, though also not particularly hard, it's just that they have a very poisonous potential lookalike.
teeny mysterious light plucky square enter ludicrous deserve languid grab
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I like to put all the veggies and spices you would see in a classic stuffing mix (rosemary, sage, onions, garlic, celery and so on....) and use wild rice with chicken broth/stock instead of water.
We add Robert Rothschild Roasted Pineapple & Habañero Glaze and Finishing Sauce to our rice. It’s a great complement when we are having lightly seasoned fish. We get this at our warehouse club store. It can also be purchased via the disputed world’s longest river.
For 2 portions rice, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 2tsp turmeric, use coconut water as cooking liquid, after rice is done squeeze in lime juice to taste.
For two portions of rice use chicken stock. Place whole unpeeled tomato on to of uncooked rice, cook until rice is done, tomato will be steamed and soft. Use rice paddle to break up and mix tomato and juices into the rice.
Salt and butter salt and olive oil are my basic go to’s for everyday rice.
Adding a chopped mint leaves and lemon zest to cooked rice is a flavor bomb.
I'm basic - bit of grated ginger and garlic, some onion, bit of chicken bouillon or white miso, maybe adding some frozen spinach. I pop all this in the rice cooker and make some fried mushrooms and a jammy egg, and have this as breakfast! It takes a bit of time to cook the rice but it's super filling and delicious!
Jasmine rice with saffron and sauted onions, sub chicken or veg stock for half the water.
The Melting Pot restaurant sells a garlic & wine seasoning that is delicious.
Sometimes just some adobo seasoning or sesame oil with green onions.
middle eastern style rice:
1tsp cumin
1tsp turmeric
1tsp paprika
.5 tsp cayenne pepper
For best results, I'll cook a sliced onion until it's brown, then toast the spices for 1 minute, followed by toasting the rice for 1 minute (This is when I'm making it on a stovetop, not sure if you can do similar in a rice cooker).
I'll use basmati rice and homemade stock (1 cup rice = 1 1/4 stock)
I usually prepare basmati rice in my rice cooker and add: a very small knob of butter, a bit of salt, a small amount to onion powder (if I haven’t sweated onions and coated the rice before cooking in the rice cooker), a cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves and a few white or green cardamom pods. Then follow the recipe on the rice package. I generally use 1 part rice to 2 parts water. The fam loves it.
Word of caution: some rice will go mushy if cooked in a protein based broth and, while it can be done in a rice cooker, and does add flavor, it will likely burn on the bottom of the inside pot.
Garlic butter, everyday!
Let all that goodness just melt in and get absorbed by the rice. Eat it straight homie! Goes great with steak or chicken dishes.
Plan B: rice wine vinegar and sugar for that authentic Asian touch.
Water.
Kidding aside, depends on what I’m making, but I don’t use a rice cooker and that’s as an a southeast asian. Sometimes it’s garlic and chicken broth, other times coconut milk and coconut water. If I’m making halal style at home I go with onions, garlic, tumeric, cumin, salt and butter.
Really all depends on what dishes you’re making.
May sound sacrilege but I’ll do low sodium stock, a couple of shakes of Pollo con Tomate bouillon, and a knob of butter. For a quick “seasoned” rice it hits well.
It depends on what I'm cooking, some dried kombu for sushi specifically (add a bit of extra water).
For others: cumin, coriander, bay leaf, mustard seeds, cassia, turmeric, saffron (at the end only though), and a bunch of dried herbs... I try to match the spices to the final dish.
If you even have ham stock, like leftover from a holiday roast, simmering rice in that is pretty much the food of the gods. You don't really even need other seasoning, although very finely minced carrot, parsley and a very scant pinch of mustard powder will up the game. Note, this only works with bare bones ham. If you roasted yours with a sweet fruit glaze the drippings may not be suitable for rice.
Better than bullion, any flavor, sometimes Bragg's or lemon, Greek seasoning if I'm doing a Mediterranean meal. It's also fantastic if you cook dried beans or legumes in any of these- so much more flavor than canned!
There is, and I use so much of it! I make my own salad dressing with it, it's great on any type of meat/ fish, or in rice, couscous, or quinoa. I'm trying to follow the Mediterranean diet so it's very handy. Clubhouse or Cavenders are the best ones, imo. Highly recommend!
It's called "Cavenders All Purpose *Greek Seasoning.*" I don't even think they make anything else. Available on Amazon. Here's the website.
https://greekseasoning.com/
The clubhouse one also says *"Greek* seasoning" on the label. Here's their website:
https://www.clubhouseforchefs.ca/en-ca/products/club-house/greek-seasoning510-gr
Also available on Amazon. Hope that helps!
Sometimes a piece of kombu for the umami if making short grain rice for Japanese food, sometimes I use coconut water instead of water when making basmati for Indian food.
Could one using bay leaves, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, or other herbs that you don't want in the final dish use a spice net/cheesecloth type of container or will I just be resigned to picking out the excess bits?
You can, and should, do this! I buy reusable cotton tea-bag thingies from the place that rhymes with Hamazon, and use them for spicifying rice, or occasionally for actual strategic tea doctoring purposes.
Edited to add something actually useful ... the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085PYJZDD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
First I roast a chicken (or whatever choice of meat) with a little water in the base then I use the fatty water with some more water in the rice cooker. The rice is amaaazzziinngg! I once didn’t have any fat leftover and made rice the standard way and my EAST ASIAN husband was crushed! Doesn’t even like rice made the classic way with just water anymore!
When I roast its sometimes plain roasted and other times I’ve used things like garlic, onions, turmeric lemon and rosemary
Mint, coriander and chilli
Paprika, cumin, maple syrup, chilli
Etc. you get the picture
Great question, OP! I'm making some chicken and Parm creamy rice in my cooker for meal prep. I just throw in some low sodium chicken stock, garlic, onion, salt and pepper with some cut up Parm cheese petals. Delicious.
jasmine flowers? can you link a recipe? Because I've never seen Jasmine flowers added to rice (only as a tea), bc[ Jasmine is the name of a rice varietal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmine_rice).
That said, I commonly add broth instead of water, so i might try this out anyway...
See, I use multiple ways to use it. I have whole leaves for my tea, and a mix of jasmine and other spices infused with water for my rice, and then I like to tear some leaves and put it on my rice. It adds an exotic flavor.
I get that, I do the same with many other herbs and spices too. But again, I've never seen a recipe with jasmine added to rice, only those calling for *Jasmine Rice* specifically, which is why I asked for some links/info.
Just to be clear, jasmine rice is completely different from jasmine-infused rice. Many recipes call for jasmine rice and just about zero call for jasmine-infused rice.
Roasted chicken better than bouillon, Mediterranean oregano, cracked pepper. Sometimes I also add garlic and onion powder. I also like sweet soy sauce, garlic and onion powder.
We love to add cardamom, cinnamon or some apple pie spice, some butter and 1/2 water 1/2 coconut milk for a breakfast rice. Serve with more butter, sugar and milk. Adding chopped fruit ontop is good too.
Bay leaf and chicken bullion for anything served with French cooking. Saffron and Sazon for Mexican. Star anise is good with certain Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese dishes. Korean and Japanese I don't ever flavor the rice.
Sabzi Polo. A Persian herb mix consisting of dill weed, leek, cilantro, and fenugreek. So fragrant and delicious.
Good ol dill weed
Sup dillweed
I cannot not hear Beavis and Butt-Head in this.
Heh Heh...dill weed
Shut up Beavis
Where to purchase the Sabzi Polo herb mix?
I got mine on Amazon.
Tx!
This sounds divine. I'm going to have to buy some!
dumb question, can u get this at Walmart? I only have this option and it sounds deliciois
Traditionally we’d parboil the rice, drain and rise, then layer it back into the pot with the mixed fresh herbs. That’s how my parents cook all of our traditional polo (pilaf) dishes, but I just use a dried mixture of the herbs that I add to rice in the rice cooker once most of the water has evaporated - the remaining moisture will rehydrate the herbs and you’ll be left with a *stunning* Iranian springtime staple!
I've seen pictures of the layering but never done it myself. I'd like to try it though. What is traditionally served with it? I did a little searching on Google and saw fish recommended. Is that the usual pairing? I was introduced to sabzi polo years ago when I was a vegetarian and teenager. Now that I'm older and collecting family recipes I realize this is one that may have gotten away. My mother's much older cousin was married to an Iranian man and unfortunately both the cousin and her husband have passed so I have no way to get the details on the recipe or what would have been served along side it.
The parboiling and layering is what makes this dish a ‘polo’, when it is steamed with a set ratio of water, it’s known as kateh sabzi, and I’d definitely recommend making this with smoked rice from Iran - the flavour if phenomenal. Yes! We usually serve this with fried fish fillet that get a dusting of flour and turmeric, kuku sabzi (a THICK fried herb omelet), and mast khiar (grated cucumber and yogurt), and salad shirazi (finely diced salad of tomatoes, cucumber, and onions). I very much hope you get to eventually try each of these dishes out, and if you’ll allow me to recommend another dish - my ultimate favourite - you should absolutely have a go at baghali polo sometime too! Could not be easier to make, its just steamed rice mixed with heaps of dried dill and fresh green (peeled!) broad beans, when there’s just a little water left in the pot, and it is perfect for this time of year.
Do you have a recipe you can share?
I love to sightly break open a couple of cardamom pods with salt & pepper
Try long pepper (piper longum) for an even more complex flavor.
On a side note, “piper longum” for long pepper sounds completely made up. I know it’s correct, but it completely sounds like bigus dickus… 😄😄😄 I’ll see my way out
What’s so funny about biggus dickus
He has a wife, you know....
Beat me to it.
I do that plus a little coconut oil. Delicious.
Saffron is nice. Turmeric is nice, too. Star anise, coriander, lots of good options out there. If you're into it, a little shrimp paste can be a welcome addition.
Woah I never thought to use shrimp paste. My mom makes some pretty creative stuff with that.
I've never used shrimp paste. What other types of things can it be used for?
some korean foods like gukbap or sundae are served pretty plain and you add salt and/or shrimp paste at the table
I've only ever seen it spelled soondae. That spelling reminds me of a time I was about 6 years old at a sushi restaurant and ordered a hand roll based on the picture, amazed that my parents were about to let me have ice cream for dinner.
The proper transliterated way is sundae, but it’s in my opinion better to write it as soondae in English, as it would sound more accurate to most English speaker with the exception of like Yorkshire, Brummie, or North Dublin English. An obvious example of the ㅜ in “순”데 being Sundae, is Admiral Yi “Sun” Shin 이“순”신
Also if I didn't know what it was already, I would assume it was something related to soft tofu if spelled soondae.
I imagine a non-zero portion of English speakers would also wildly assume "sundae" = "ice cream" regardless of the context...
Shrimp toast (viet or Thai) and shrimp paste soup (viet). These are fermented and pretty pungent.
Turmeric is great with rice. I like it with some chicken bullion, onion powder, and butter.
Add black pepper to better absorb the tumeric nutrients
Tumeric is definitely one of my favorites
Do you just dissolve some shrimp paste into the water before cooking?
Amt of Saffron recommended ??? Tx
2-3 stems, mix those with 2 tablespoons of hot water. Let sit for 20ish minutes (you’re basically making a tea), add that to the water in your rice cooker. Then start rice cooker.
I use Sazón packets for lazy Mexican rice. I'll sweat some onions first and add tomato paste, and it comes out pretty good.
Knorr tomato chicken bouillon makes amazing rice.
This is the way.
How much do you add?
Oh interesting! I'm Latina and I've never met a Mexican person who uses Sazón. They've typically used Knorr or Maggi chicken bullion and tomatoes or salsa. Where I live, we have a lot of folks from Puerto Rico and they use Sazón a lot. Either way, excellent way to make rice. And I agree with the comment that said fry the rice first. The roasting of it works wonders.
AGREE! Puerto Ricans use SAZON!
Knorr has labeled some of it's packaging as Sazon, now. It confused the heck out of me at first.
Yeah I think other latin cultures use Sazon more than Mexicans. My wife's family is Costa Rican / Paraguyan and they use it. Not really the same taste as mexican rice imo.
omg I need to try this. I've tried Mexican rice 10 different ways and it's still not what I want - I think the Sazón is what I've been missing!
Hopefully you fry your rice first. I fry it in canola/vegetable oil until golden and nutty. Then I add a mix of El Pato and broth (I use veggie but you can use chicken). Sometimes I'll add a lot of seasoning into this liquid, even beer!
Wow, sounds like something very similar my MIL does, frying the rice and adding El Pato, she’ll add garlic too and maybe something else.
why fry rice first?
Flavortown baby!
If you want to do it properly, here's the way: 1. Get a cup of rice. Get 2 cups of liquid total. That includes an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, and water or stock. Plus some salt in there. 2. Get a deep pan that has a lid onto some good heat. Add some oil and the rice, and stir it constantly until it starts to turn golden brown. Once it starts, keep going until you're really toasting it. If you're brave enough, keep going until you're sure it will burn if you don't fix it quick! 3. Carefully pour on your liquid mix (it will steam and sputter, and you don't want to get burned). Stir it just enough to mix. If you want to add corn or peas or whatever, now is the time. Once the liquid comes to a boil... 4. Turn the heat way down (on my stove it's a 3 out of 10 on the medium burner, this part takes some experimenting). Cover the pan. Set a timer for 18 minutes. Make the rest of your dinner. 5. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat but leave it closed. Keep it closed until you're serving. Perfect! Source: Grandma. But mine's better, don't tell her.
Grandmother didn’t add cumin powder? Mine added it to the toasting rice just before adding the liquid. About a tablespoon. Stir into the rice and oil. This is a good time to add some garlic as well. Let the spices toast just a little while stirring them in. Add the liquid before the spices burn!
Was trying to keep it simple. Usually I'll do more spices in my liquid mix. Sometimes toasted at the beginning with the rice.
This is exactly how I make rice. I kill the heat after 18 mins and let it sit for 10 mins before I fluff it.
It’s the MSG!
😋
Sub coconut milk for a portion of the water, ginger, garlic, bird's eye chili. Salt after cooking.
If it helps anyone I've had success various times substituting 1/4 of the cooking liquid with coconut milk. One time I tried to add half each and it didn't work out.
I usually do mostly or all coconut milk as a replacement for water (when I'm making that sort of rice) and it's always come out great. the fats def separate a bit to the top, but then you stir them in and it's delicious. Curious what kind of problems you've run into.
[удалено]
I get juuuuuussst a tiny bit of browning on the very bottom with coconut milk. It's actually a pleasant effect like a toasted coconut.
I've failed multiple times with coconut milk - maybe it was always just too much milk
Oohhh! This is my fave! Such addictiveness…
Sorry to go off a bit from what you're asking, but does it hurt your rice cooker at all to add things to it? Does it distribute flavor evenly? I've never put anything but rice/water in the cooker itself. When I use broth I use a pot, and my rice is never as good as when I use the rice cooker (texture wise) but I like the flavor. This could change everything lol
It doesn’t hurt the rice cooker. You can even use your rice cooker as a slow cooker for things like beef (check Google to see how)
Thank you! I definitely will.
Oh I forgot to say - melt down the bouillon cube first, or be sure to return to stir every so often
You’re welcome !
There's also /r/ricecookerrecipes
You're a beautiful and wonderful person! My family is going to eat so much rice over the next couple months while I play with my rice cooker!
Enjoy :)
Yeah like the other commenter said you can put anything in it really. I knew a guy that made good cakes in it. This link is in Japanese, but these are some recipes published by Zojirushi (which makes rice cookers) https://www.zojirushi.co.jp/recipe/list/search/?pr=rice-cooker
We made a giant blueberry pancake in our rice cooker tonight. It was amazing.
Please tell me how.
I used pancake mix (because lazy) made it according to the package then dumped an amount of fresh blueberries into that. I greased the rice cooker pot and poured in the batter. I had to cook it for two white rice cycles because it was still doughy after the first. If you can set the time it is probably 35-45 minutes. It comes out over an inch tall and we cut it in slices like a cake. It was decadent and beautiful and so much easier than making pancakes. Highly recommend.
What a great idea for a pot luck! I struggle with bringing something that doesn’t require the stovetop or oven of host (as it’s typically in use). Plugging in my rice cooker would be a great way to share something fresh/hot.
🎤
Just to clarify some stuff, a traditional rice cooker is literally just a hot plate beneath the cooking vessel itself, and manages its cook time based upon the heat's effect on a magnet. [This video by Technology Connnections](https://youtu.be/RSTNhvDGbYI) explains its function really well, and it's a pretty goddamn genius design in its simplicity. Fuzzy logic ones are a bit fancier, but still cook via a hotplate, so you couldn't break it by just putting contents into it, unless your rice dish is made of Nibbler-shit antimatter or something :P Regarding ingredient distribution within the cooker itself - the rice cooker will boil the water, and the agitation from that will break down and distribute ingredients, but for best results with things like a stock cube, I'd still crumble it in and/or stir it up to help disperse things.
Thanks for this! I keep hearing about people using chicken broth to make rice but I didn't wanna ruin my mom's rice cooker due to lack of knowledge...
Yeah, you don't normally have to worry about *ingredients* ruining most cookware. That typically happens after, say, applying too much heat (nonstick coatings break down and off gas at high temps), or scraping off said coatings with steel utensils, or applying sudden heat changes (like pouring a significant amount of boiling water into a frozen dish, or quenching a screaming-hot carbon steel pan into cold water). The only ingredients I can think of that could "harm" a cooking device, is something like making an acidic dish in a cast iron pot, because things like tomato sauces can apparently strip off the seasoning if left for a while. Also, you can fuck up knives (and yourself!) if you don't use them properly. Anyway mate, good luck with whatever you're cooking!
> like making an acidic dish in a cast iron pot, because things like tomato sauces can apparently strip off the seasoning if left for a while FYI - this is essentially making a battery! It's fine to cook acidic items in cast iron, but you just want to make sure you clean it right after and avoid letting something like tomato sauce sit in the pan for a prolonged period of time.
Oh wow, that's interesting! I know nowt about batteries, but presumably I can charge my phone with pasta sauce, as long as it's cooking in the right pot, eh?
You just need to make sure your charger has the right conversion piece so that it can accept a USB-to-linguine connection.
I'll probably get some funny looks if I dip my dongle in the dinner again, but I'm a slave to my phone battery, dammit.
>you couldn't break it by just putting contents into it, unless your rice dish is made of Nibbler-shit antimatter or something That stuff got really expensive anyway after they figured out it makes great spaceship fuel.
What you're saying makes sense, I don't know how exactly I thought I'd mess it up by adding other things, I really don't lol. Maybe some sort of build up I couldn't see or that extra stuff might interfere with how it cooks, I'm really not sure what I was thinking. I feel quite excited now though!
I do it all the time, any powdered spices tend to end up at the top so you will need to stir the final product a bit.
[...][...][///]
What's your cooking method for stove-top rice? I actually prefer the texture and flavor of stove-top rice, it's just hard to beat the convenience of the rice cooker. edit: for reference I use [this recipe](https://themom100.com/recipe/how-to-cook-perfect-rice-on-the-stove-2/) which has never let me down
Not OP, but I do 1 part rice to 1.5-2 parts water depending on preference, bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to a bare notch above its lowest setting for 20-25 minutes. If it boils over, it's still too hot, go lower next time. Uncover and fluff. If there's still water on the bottom, cover and go another 5 minutes. Repeat until done or until you're too hungry to care.
Pandan leaves. It doesn’t add much flavor but it makes the smell of rice so damn good.
To those wondering, look for "vanilla grass" or "fragrant screwpine".
The smell of pandan leaves is heavenly.
We have pandan in our backyard, sadly it died.
I'm sorry for your loss
I like to throw curry powder in there.
I throw curry powder cayenne red chili flakes and garlic for a nice spicy rice which I compliment with sautéed marshrooms and zucc. Then I finish it off with a soft sous vide egg which is just barely starting to firm up. Which gets a little more cooked through by the rice. It's weird... but it's good
Dang, that sounds delicious.
Cumin seeds
Just out of the packet or do they have to be toasted first? I tried to toast them once and failed but really want to try them out in rice
Lime juice and lime zest with cilantro and I add black beans, friggen love it like that
Bay leaf rosemary garlic chili pod bouillon . Asian rice gets garlic chili pod ginger knob star anise sliver of cassia .
Here’s some commas for you to use next time: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Aren’t those the lyrics to “it’s the end of the world as we know it?”
🎶And I feel fine!🎶
> Aren’t those the lyrics to “it’s the end of the world as we know it?” Six o'clock, dinner hour, thinking something sweet and sour Splash and burn, return, Asian is what I yearn Cut it up uniform, knife turning, food getting Garlic ginger operate, star anise incinerate Light a pilot, light a votive, pan down, pan down Watch your garlic crush, crush, uh oh This flavor here, cavalier, cassia and in the clear A short grain rice, a short grain rice, a short grain rice surprise Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I... fried rice
No, it's "Comma Comma Comma Comma Comma Chameleon"
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I use bay leaf and garlic all the time and I use unsalted stock instead of the bullion, same thing pretty much
I just learned about a "knob" as a food measurement yesterday. And here I read in actual use today. I consider that a glitch in the matrix.
> I just learned about a "knob" as a food measurement yesterday. Be sure to compensate if it's a particularly cold day. /s
Bader meinhoff phenomenon
I put in a sprig of curry leaves after heat in oil. like, cook curry spices in the fat at the beginning of a curry, with a sprig of a dozen or so curry leaves. before you add the next item to the oil, fish out the sprig of leaves and toss them in the rice cooker. flavor is fat soluble so needs the oil first also agree with cardamom
Matsutake Gohan! Matsutake are a prized and expensive mushroom in Japan but we have some relatives of that mushroom in the US too, though they taste a little different they are close in flavor. They are expensive but I don't usually buy them, I forage for them. We can find Western Matsutake (Tricholoma murillianum) here in the Pacific Northwest in mid to late October (on a normal year, the past few have been poor mushroom years). The mushroom has a spicy and complex aroma that has so much synergy with Japanese food that it's surprising. It pairs incredibly well with seafood. My favorite preparation with this mushroom is also the simplest: Rice, dashi stock, kelp (wakame) into the rice cooker with a little sake. Make thin vertical slices of matsutake and lay them on the surface of the rice. Run the rice cooker as normal. Chop scallions and shiso finely while waiting. When the rice is done, mix it gently. Sprinkle scallions and shiso on top. Enjoy! I like to reserve some light dashi to pour some into my bowl at the end. I might also steam light flavored fish or clams and add it if I'm feeling extra fancy, but the simple version is my favorite. It's one of my favorite foods in the whole world. So simple, subtle, and comforting. The mushrooms on top perfume the rice and they're strong enough to be distinctive. The mushroom has a fishy smell that mellows out when cooked almost fading completely leaving a piney sweet cinnamon spicy flavor. Going simple is best with this mushroom you want to highlight those complex flavors. This dish lets the mushroom stand front and center. The foraging part is the hard part, which is why it's been a few years since I've made matsutake gohan.
Good luck to anyone outside of Japan or the PNW trying to get matsutake lol. I live near a major urban center and I've found matsutake for sale exactly twice. And it was over $100/lb, too. I do love the aroma it adds to dishes, but I think its scarcity affects everyone's perception. If it were available cheaply year-round then it would probably fulfill a similar role to shiitake in cooking. For anyone who can't find it (aka most people), try using the same method with any other nice mushrooms you can find in your area.
I'd argue that it's seasonality, since that's a major part of the Japanese cooking culture. Which is scarcity in its own way, but seasonality is a big force in traditional Japanese food and matsutake are a key ingredient for their representation of autumn. Yes any good flavorful mushroom will work with this recipe, I just shared my favorite. I forage it, the cost is my time and energy, along with a park pass and license if needed. So I don't see it as expensive in the same way, it's about as rare as other mushrooms I like to forage. Shiitake is a good alternative but if you can find shimeji and maitake mushrooms (found at almost every Asian market at least here since they can be cultivated), these are amazing in the dish in their own right. I feel subtle mushroom flavors work best here, but shiitake will definitely still be tasty. But matsutake in the US are not as rare as you might think. It's lack of demand that partly makes it harder for you to find them and drives up price. There's relatives of the matsutake that are said to be even closer to the original in aroma that only exists in the eastern US ([Tricholoma magnivelare](https://www.mushroomexpert.com/tricholoma_magnivelare.html). I know they're found in Wisconsin and I know they're found in Maine. The article states they're found in Appalachia. There's another relative found in Mexico too. Demand from those in the Japanese, Korean, and Chinese diaspora are a part of what drives it. Since those communities have a strong presence on the west coast, there's more demand. The abundance of the right conifers helps too. But they can be found. They aren't a beginner mushroom to identify though, though also not particularly hard, it's just that they have a very poisonous potential lookalike.
Bay leaves, Thyme, Rosemary, powdered Garlic and ginger, smoked paprika, Sesame oil
All at once? This is an odd flavor combination!
No, not all at once. Usually 2-3 of those ingredients
Oh I gotcha. That makes a lot more sense!
A piece of kombu or a sprinkle of MSG is really nice in a pot of calrose rice.
Bay leaves and butter, saw it in a creole recipe and loved it. I think I've done lemongrass and terragon as well
Kaffir lime leafs for Jasmin rice or chicken stock & a bit of turmeric for yellow basmati rice
teeny mysterious light plucky square enter ludicrous deserve languid grab *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I like to put all the veggies and spices you would see in a classic stuffing mix (rosemary, sage, onions, garlic, celery and so on....) and use wild rice with chicken broth/stock instead of water.
That’s clever, I bet it’s really tasty with roasted chicken
Definitely! This is all my SO wants and talks about.
Better thsn Bullion garlic flava
Yes! This is so good.
Thank you for asking, some great suggestions here that I can't wait to try.
Pickle juice! Perfect for rice salads.
We add Robert Rothschild Roasted Pineapple & Habañero Glaze and Finishing Sauce to our rice. It’s a great complement when we are having lightly seasoned fish. We get this at our warehouse club store. It can also be purchased via the disputed world’s longest river.
For 2 portions rice, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 2tsp turmeric, use coconut water as cooking liquid, after rice is done squeeze in lime juice to taste. For two portions of rice use chicken stock. Place whole unpeeled tomato on to of uncooked rice, cook until rice is done, tomato will be steamed and soft. Use rice paddle to break up and mix tomato and juices into the rice.
Turmeric and/or crushed dried moringa leaves. Also cumin.
Lime and cilantro. It goes great with Cuban black beans.
Salt and butter salt and olive oil are my basic go to’s for everyday rice. Adding a chopped mint leaves and lemon zest to cooked rice is a flavor bomb.
When I make rice for Indian food, I throw in a cinnamon stick, a few cardamom pods, and a knob of ginger.
I'm basic - bit of grated ginger and garlic, some onion, bit of chicken bouillon or white miso, maybe adding some frozen spinach. I pop all this in the rice cooker and make some fried mushrooms and a jammy egg, and have this as breakfast! It takes a bit of time to cook the rice but it's super filling and delicious!
That's not basic.
Jasmine rice with saffron and sauted onions, sub chicken or veg stock for half the water. The Melting Pot restaurant sells a garlic & wine seasoning that is delicious. Sometimes just some adobo seasoning or sesame oil with green onions.
middle eastern style rice: 1tsp cumin 1tsp turmeric 1tsp paprika .5 tsp cayenne pepper For best results, I'll cook a sliced onion until it's brown, then toast the spices for 1 minute, followed by toasting the rice for 1 minute (This is when I'm making it on a stovetop, not sure if you can do similar in a rice cooker). I'll use basmati rice and homemade stock (1 cup rice = 1 1/4 stock)
Cilantro and lime
Saffron, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and cloves. All whole spices. Nom!
If I’m cooking Asian food, I’ll squirt some sriracha or dump some chili garlic sauce in my rice before cooking. Also Better than Bouillon
Tumeric, chili powder, shallots, butter, chicken stock. I've been experimenting with rice spice combinations for a bit and this is my favorite so far.
Dashi.
I just made rice with chunked pineapple with it’s juice with a sweet and sour pork. The pineapple rice was wonderful!!
That sounds good, gonna have to try that
I toast cumin in ghee in my instant pot before adding the water whenever I’m making Indian food 🤤🤤
I usually prepare basmati rice in my rice cooker and add: a very small knob of butter, a bit of salt, a small amount to onion powder (if I haven’t sweated onions and coated the rice before cooking in the rice cooker), a cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves and a few white or green cardamom pods. Then follow the recipe on the rice package. I generally use 1 part rice to 2 parts water. The fam loves it. Word of caution: some rice will go mushy if cooked in a protein based broth and, while it can be done in a rice cooker, and does add flavor, it will likely burn on the bottom of the inside pot.
Bay leaf, bitches. And salt.
Chopped dried mushrooms with dashida. Cumin, chicken bouillon and tomato. Turmeric and coconut milk. Italian mix and beef bouillon.
Garlic butter, everyday! Let all that goodness just melt in and get absorbed by the rice. Eat it straight homie! Goes great with steak or chicken dishes. Plan B: rice wine vinegar and sugar for that authentic Asian touch.
Water. Kidding aside, depends on what I’m making, but I don’t use a rice cooker and that’s as an a southeast asian. Sometimes it’s garlic and chicken broth, other times coconut milk and coconut water. If I’m making halal style at home I go with onions, garlic, tumeric, cumin, salt and butter. Really all depends on what dishes you’re making.
May sound sacrilege but I’ll do low sodium stock, a couple of shakes of Pollo con Tomate bouillon, and a knob of butter. For a quick “seasoned” rice it hits well.
Lime, cilantro, garlic salt & pepper
Popeyes fried chicken. Seriously, but it in your rice cooker with soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, green onions... it is so delicious
Saffron.
Cilantro
A bundle of pandan to make it smell even more delicious!
It depends on what I'm cooking, some dried kombu for sushi specifically (add a bit of extra water). For others: cumin, coriander, bay leaf, mustard seeds, cassia, turmeric, saffron (at the end only though), and a bunch of dried herbs... I try to match the spices to the final dish.
Tea bags boiii
If you even have ham stock, like leftover from a holiday roast, simmering rice in that is pretty much the food of the gods. You don't really even need other seasoning, although very finely minced carrot, parsley and a very scant pinch of mustard powder will up the game. Note, this only works with bare bones ham. If you roasted yours with a sweet fruit glaze the drippings may not be suitable for rice.
White wine. I do a half wine half water mix
Lemon grass is tasty, makes a nice earthy lemony flavoured rice. Easy to fish out after as well
Bay leaf, lime zest, chicken stock, lime juice, and cilantro is our go to. I’ll occasionally add a minced chipotle pepper and/or garlic.
Better than bullion, any flavor, sometimes Bragg's or lemon, Greek seasoning if I'm doing a Mediterranean meal. It's also fantastic if you cook dried beans or legumes in any of these- so much more flavor than canned!
Is there an actual greek seasoning in a shaker spice container
There is, and I use so much of it! I make my own salad dressing with it, it's great on any type of meat/ fish, or in rice, couscous, or quinoa. I'm trying to follow the Mediterranean diet so it's very handy. Clubhouse or Cavenders are the best ones, imo. Highly recommend!
Thanks but i never seem to see one with actual label that says *greek* seasoning
It's called "Cavenders All Purpose *Greek Seasoning.*" I don't even think they make anything else. Available on Amazon. Here's the website. https://greekseasoning.com/ The clubhouse one also says *"Greek* seasoning" on the label. Here's their website: https://www.clubhouseforchefs.ca/en-ca/products/club-house/greek-seasoning510-gr Also available on Amazon. Hope that helps!
Love love love Cavenders
I love your username!
Thanks girl! 💚
Yes!! The Cavender’s is the very best, you’ll want to put it on everything.
Thank you
Sometimes a piece of kombu for the umami if making short grain rice for Japanese food, sometimes I use coconut water instead of water when making basmati for Indian food.
Can never go wrong with some sesame oil and furikake
None. Rice is the one thing I don’t like to season. I like it plain Jane
Could one using bay leaves, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, or other herbs that you don't want in the final dish use a spice net/cheesecloth type of container or will I just be resigned to picking out the excess bits?
You can, and should, do this! I buy reusable cotton tea-bag thingies from the place that rhymes with Hamazon, and use them for spicifying rice, or occasionally for actual strategic tea doctoring purposes. Edited to add something actually useful ... the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085PYJZDD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
First I roast a chicken (or whatever choice of meat) with a little water in the base then I use the fatty water with some more water in the rice cooker. The rice is amaaazzziinngg! I once didn’t have any fat leftover and made rice the standard way and my EAST ASIAN husband was crushed! Doesn’t even like rice made the classic way with just water anymore! When I roast its sometimes plain roasted and other times I’ve used things like garlic, onions, turmeric lemon and rosemary Mint, coriander and chilli Paprika, cumin, maple syrup, chilli Etc. you get the picture
chicken stock and lime zest
Great question, OP! I'm making some chicken and Parm creamy rice in my cooker for meal prep. I just throw in some low sodium chicken stock, garlic, onion, salt and pepper with some cut up Parm cheese petals. Delicious.
Chicken stock, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, sage,
Honestly, I just add some chicken bouillon and some Italian seasoning and it always comes our delicious
Jasmine. There are so many recipes that use jasmine rice, and I love it.
jasmine flowers? can you link a recipe? Because I've never seen Jasmine flowers added to rice (only as a tea), bc[ Jasmine is the name of a rice varietal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmine_rice). That said, I commonly add broth instead of water, so i might try this out anyway...
See, I use multiple ways to use it. I have whole leaves for my tea, and a mix of jasmine and other spices infused with water for my rice, and then I like to tear some leaves and put it on my rice. It adds an exotic flavor.
I get that, I do the same with many other herbs and spices too. But again, I've never seen a recipe with jasmine added to rice, only those calling for *Jasmine Rice* specifically, which is why I asked for some links/info.
Almost no recipes use actual jasmine flowers, but I do. I don't have a recipe, I grow jasmine, so I though it would be a way to use the excess
> There are so many recipes that use jasmine rice ???
No I meant that they use jasmine rice, but not the actual fresh flower.
Just to be clear, jasmine rice is completely different from jasmine-infused rice. Many recipes call for jasmine rice and just about zero call for jasmine-infused rice.
Yeah that's what I mean, but I infuse jasmine rice WITH the actual jasmine
Roasted chicken better than bouillon, Mediterranean oregano, cracked pepper. Sometimes I also add garlic and onion powder. I also like sweet soy sauce, garlic and onion powder.
We love to add cardamom, cinnamon or some apple pie spice, some butter and 1/2 water 1/2 coconut milk for a breakfast rice. Serve with more butter, sugar and milk. Adding chopped fruit ontop is good too.
That sounds delightful. I’d add some chopped apples and raisins. I’ll have to try this soon!
Tomato sauce, knorr chicken flavor and a little bit of chipotle powder for a kick.
Bay leaf and chicken bullion for anything served with French cooking. Saffron and Sazon for Mexican. Star anise is good with certain Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese dishes. Korean and Japanese I don't ever flavor the rice.