Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Rice Cooker Soy Rice and Chicken - Taiwan

Serving Size  : 7  

Ingredients :

1/2 cup  sushi rice
1/2 cup  dried shiitake mushrooms -- the small variety, if large cut into strips (handful)
3/4 cup  soy sauce -- (rice cooker measure)
2 tablespoons  oil
1 slice  fresh ginger root -- thin slice, cut into strips
1/2 cup  chopped nibble-size chicken pieces -- preferably deboned thighs (handful)
2 tablespoons  soy sauce
3 1/2 cups  regular rice
2 tablespoons  oil
2 garlic cloves -- squashed
1/2 white onion -- sliced into half-rings
3 tablespoons  soy sauce
3 1/3 cups  water -- (4 1/2 rice cooker measuring cups)
salt

Preparation Method :

1. Wash the sushi rice and soak thoroughly in water for half an hour. Put aside.

2. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in 3/4 cup soy sauce. Put aside (soak until soft).

3. In a nonstick pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, then saute the ginger. Quickly add in the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (to give the chicken color). Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked. Set aside on a plate and let cool thoroughly; this is important.

4. Drain the sushi rice of water. Wash the ordinary rice clean and drain of water, too. remember to drain both rices well.

5. Using your hand, squeeze the shiitake mushrooms of soy sauce, but mind that you do not waste the soy sauce because it will be used afterward.

6. In the selfsame nonstick pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the garlic, then the onion, and then the mushrooms.

7. Put in all the rice, the sushi and the regular, and also the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir-fry until the rice is evenly coated with the oil and soy. Don't take too long in stir-frying the rice (less than a minute).

8. Pour the rice mixture and the chicken into the rice cooker. Pour in 4 1/2 (rice cooker measure cups or 3 1/3 regular) cups water. Also pour in the soy sauce that you used to soak the dried shiitake mushrooms.

9. Add a dash of salt (only a teeny bit).

10. Let stand to cool for about 5 minutes or more, all the while stirring to dissipate the heat. Dissipating the heat is important so as not to mess with the gauging system of your cooker.

11. After cooling, begin to cook the usual way in your rice cooker.

AUTHOR TIP:

1. Remember that by "cup", means the plastic measuring cup that came along with your rice cooker.

2. You may also try canned water chestnuts.

3. Add only a little for reasons that are already obvious.

4. Too much sushi rice causes indigestion and constipation. Use only small amounts, and drink plenty of water.

5. Different brands of soy sauce produce different tastes. It is not advisable to use the Kikkoman brand, as I cannot vouch for the resulting taste, but use the ones that come from Taiwan. These I can vouch for. Remember not to be fooled into buying soy sauce paste.

This recipe is actually easier than it looks.

Instead of chicken, pork chunks also do well in this recipe. Additional onion, garlic, and ginger aren't out of the question, though one may substitute shallots for the white onion for more pungency. Chopped spring onions may also be fancied. To decrease salinity, go easy on the soy sauce, or use low sodium soy sauce.
      

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 

546 Calories;
9g Fat (15.0% calories from fat);
13g Protein;
103g Carbohydrate;
4g Dietary Fiber;
8mg Cholesterol;
2519mg Sodium.

Exchanges:

6 1/2 Grain(Starch);
1/2 Lean Meat;
1 Vegetable;
1 1/2 Fat.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 2592 0 5547 0 0 0 0 0 0

Cuisine : "Asian"
Recipe By : Robert of Taoyuan City, Taiwan
Source : "The Pot and How to Use It: the mystery and romance of the rice cooker by Roger Ebert, 2010"
Formatted by : Chupa Babi "Jan 2011"  
* Exported from MasterCook *

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