Rice Cooker Poblano Rice
Sometimes it's hard to embrace "technology" as a better way of doing something. Rice has been around for forever and cooked on the stovetop for so long, it's hard to accept that another way of cooking it is necessary or, heaven forbid, better. It's no secret, Manny and I love both our rice and our rice cookers (yes, we have one in Cozumel, Dallas, and Tucson). This recipe is a take on a Mexican staple called "arroz verde" or green rice. In that traditional recipe, we purée the chiles and onions and garlic and that liquid turns the rice green as you cook it and then the cilantro is left coarse to give some added visual interest.
In a rice cooker we learned that the added moisture from the puréed vegetables makes the rice soggy because it's a partially closed system (i.e. not as much steam escapes from the cooker as would from cooking on the stovetop), so we left the vegetables "diced". Remember that the little cup that comes with almost all rice cookers is actually 3/4 of a cup not a full cup. Don't ask us why; clearly it's a mystery of life never intended to be understood. If you can't find poblanos, green bell peppers can be used. This recipe is easy to adapt to make it vegetarian by simply using a good vegetable stock in place of the chicken broth.
As always, from our table to yours... #SpiceConfidently #EssenceOfFlavor #ChemistryInTheKitchen #CasaMSpice
— Mike Hernandez
ingredients
For the Rice:
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 1 cup poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, fresh, leaves only, packed
- 2-1/4 cups rice (that's 3 of the rice-cooker supplied cups which are almost always 3/4 cup)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Casa M Spice Co® Chain Reaction®
- chicken or vegetable broth to fill to the "3-cup" line on the rice cooker
FEATURED QUOTE
In a rice cooker we learned that the added moisture from the puréed vegetables makes the rice soggy... so we left the vegetables "diced".
- Mike HernandezLET’S GET COOKING
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1.
Measure your rice into the bowl of your rice cooker.
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2.
Fill to the 3-cup line in the bowl with chicken or vegetable broth.
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3.
Add diced vegetables, cilantro, and Chain Reaction® and stir well.
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4.
Close the lid to the cooker and select the "white rice" setting and press start.
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5.
An hour (or thereabout) later, your rice will be cooked and ready to go. Open the lid, stir gently to get the vegetables distributed throughout the rice, and serve while hot.
