Rice cookers are probably the one item you can definitely find in every Malaysian kitchen, and for good reason too! It helps usachieve perfectly fluffy hot rice with almost zero effort and in no time at all!
Here’s a not-so-secret fact, your rice cooker is actually a kitchen ninja, and can handle way more than just rice! Instead of wasting its abilities, why not test out all that you can do with your humble little rice cooker?
Here are some rice cooker recipes to unleash the power within your little machine:
1. Rice Cooker Veggie Biryani
Jam-packed with fragrant spices as well as veggies, this meal will satisfy any biryani craving you may have. Therecipe actually requires you to prepare some of the ingredients in a separate pan, but you can actually do everything in your rice cooker. Just turn it on and you can saute the spices in the rice cooker itself. Then continue on as per recipe. Get recipe here.
2. Rice Cooker Chicken Curry
This recipe has only 3 simple steps, starting from sauteeing your onions and garlic in the rice cooking along with some curry powder, then in with the rest of the ingredients, close the lid and hit cook. Once your rice cookers beeps that it’s done, it’s ready! However, recipe calls for a package of jambalaya mix, which you’ll have to make ahead. We found a great recipe for the jambalaya mix here (basically just mixing together dry ingredients), and you can get the recipe for the chicken curry here.
3. Rice Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Breakfast from the rice cooker! And not just any regular breakfast, this here is somefancy premium oatmeal you only get from a luxurious B&B in an English countryside. The cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg gives it a delightful whiff of fragrance, while diced apples give it a sweet and delicious bite. Spinkle on somenuts, dried fruitor other toppings of your choice for an easy, nutritious breakfast. Full recipe here.
4. Rice Cooker Quinoa Pilaf with Mushrooms
This quinoa pilaf is colourful, fluffy and full of flavour. It’s also super easy to put together, although it requires a bit of chopping. We suggest topping off with some chopped nuts for some crunch at the end. Get recipe here.
5. Rice Cooker Frittata
What makes this dish so wonderful is its versatility. Don’t like red peppers? Substitute it with cherry tomatoes! Love onions? Add more of that! All you need is your choice of chopped veggies, saute them in the rice cooker (instead of the pan, as suggested by recipe), and continue as per recipe. You’ll get a beautiful round frittata that’ll feed the entire family and more! Recipe here.
6. Rice Cooker Dhal
This dhal is made from chopped carrots, onions, garlic, as well as the quintessential cumin, turmeric and yellow split peas (dhal), then cooked for many hours in the rice cooker until soft and flavourful. Goes great with some steamed cauliflower or naan. Get recipe here.
7. Rice Cooker Steamed Tofu & Asparagus
Requiring minimal work, this dish is done in 30 minutes but tastes and smells fantastic thanks to the garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil used in the cooking process. All you have to do is toss everything into the rice cooker, and hit cook! For the meat lovers, you can always add in some marinated chicken breast cubes as well as some fresh shiitake mushrooms! Recipe here.
8. Rice Cooker Ginger Soy Fish
For a yummy weeknight dinner, get some fish fillets, marinade with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, spring onion and place into your steamer basket (or one of those steamer plates you can get at Daiso) and steamit on top of your whole grain rice. Video recipe here.
9. Rice Cooker “Stir-Fried” Cabbage
This rice cooker cabbage is a fuss-free way of adding some greens to your meal, but still have them taste great. All you’ll need are some shallots, garlic, a tiny bit of oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Recipe here.
10. Rice Cooker Chicken & Daikon Soup
Ever felt like eating grandma’ssignaturesoup that’s been boiled for 20 hours? Well, this recipe dishes it up in 3 hours with a prep time of only 10 minutes! Talk about easy! Spare 10 minutes in the morning throwing everything into the rice cooker and setting it to cook for 3 hours, then keep warm till you get home to a welcoming bowl of hot soup. Recipe here.
11. Rice Cooker Steamed Salmon Fillets with Brown Rice
Yet another recipe for a simple weeknight dinner calling for only a rice cooker (you’ll need a steamer basket as well). You’ll be cooking both the marinated salmon and the rice at the same time and meal’s done in 30 minutes! Get recipe here.
12. Rice Cooker Ginger Chicken & Rice
Chicken, ginger, baby spinach and coconut milk all come together with rice to make this superb dish that’s good for both weekdays and weekends. Customise it to your liking by adding fresh shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, chopped carrots or any other veggies of your choice.
13. Rice Cooker Balsamic Dijon Chicken with Farro & Mushrooms
This makesflavourful meal with a delicate bite to it, all done in one appliance. In case you were wondering, farro is a type of wheat that’s nutty and chewy that cooks slowly in the rice cooker. However, if you can’t get your hands on farro, regular wholegrain rice wouldprobably workin this recipe too, except we’d skip the stirring for 3 minutes part.Get recipe here.
14. Rice Cooker Vegetable Stew
With sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, kidney beans as well as plenty of tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper and broccoli, this is a very filling stew that’s great for a cold rainy night in. Get recipe here.
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