Rice for a side dish in a slow cooker

Rice is one of the most common crops grown for human consumption. Many nations are proud of the national dishes of this cereal. Our compatriots most often use this cereal for the preparation of a side dish for meat, fish or poultry. However, not all rice is tasty and crumbly enough, which does not decorate the main dish, but spoils it. The use of kitchen appliances often helps inexperienced cooks, allowing them to prepare mouth-watering dishes that they don’t manage in a pan or pan due to lack of cooking experience. Manufacturers of multicookers put programs into these devices that allow them to make crumbly cereals and other foods from cereals, while not allowing them to burn. Even an inexperienced cook can cook rice for a side dish in a slow cooker, and the cereal will not stick together or burn. But for this, you still need to know and take into account several subtleties, otherwise even a smart unit will not help the novice hostess to please guests and households with a tasty and crumbly side dish of rice cereal.

Cooking Features

Modern kitchen gadgets simplify the work of the hostess, but they are not able to correct the mistakes made by the inept cook when preparing and laying products. Only by knowing the basic principles of cooking rice as a side dish can you cook a tasty dish, and the slow cooker will be of great help in this case.

Choosing the right cereal for the garnish is very important, since different varieties have different characteristics and are designed for cooking different dishes. For porridges and viscous side dishes like risotto, googlozerny rice containing a lot of starch is suitable. Long grain rice is crumbly; it is used to make garnishes most often. There are special varieties of rice for paella, risotto, sushi, pilaf, although all these dishes can be made from cereals of other varieties with similar characteristics. Supporters of healthy eating often prefer brown and wild rice. Meals from such cereals are crumbly without any tricks, but it takes a lot of time to prepare them.
When buying rice, one should pay attention not only to the variety of cereals, but also to its quality. Before buying rice, it does not hurt to look around to make sure that there are no dark or other spots on the grains, numerous chips. A fist-packed dry rice cereal should creak. It is difficult to crack the grains, ideally it is impossible.
Even high-quality and good rice must be picked and washed before use. Wash the rice can be folded into a colander under running water. But more often it is placed in a bowl, washed, rubbing the grains together, thrown back on a sieve. The manipulation is continued until the water that is drained from the rice remains completely transparent. This means that it was possible to wash off all the starch from the cereals and the grains will not stick together during cooking. For greater efficiency, the last time rice is washed is not in cool, but in warm water.
Experienced chefs advise not only to wash, but also soak the rice before heat treatment in order to shorten the cooking time. Round rice is soaked for only 10-15 minutes, long grain - for 20-30 minutes, brown and wild - for at least an hour. But it will turn out to win 10-20 minutes, depending on the rice variety, therefore many cooks prefer to cook rice without soaking it beforehand.
If you decide to cook a risotto as a side dish, do not rinse or soak the rice, otherwise you won't succeed in the popular Italian dish.
Rice will cook faster and will not stick together if it is poured not with cold, but with hot water.
There is one more trick, which makes it possible to cook rice crumbly: first, it is fried in butter or vegetable oil for a few minutes, then poured with boiling water and started to cook. This does not affect the cooking time.
To get crumbly rice, you need to choose the right ratio of cereals and water (or broth, which is usually taken as much). Round rice cooked quickly, take a glass of this product 1, 5 cups of liquid. If it is pre-soaked, you can even use the 1: 1 ratio. Long-grain rice is usually cooked using a 1: 2 ratio, but if it has been soaked before, a 3: 5 ratio will be more successful. clarify on the package with the product, as the ratio may require different.
The cooking time for rice also depends on its variety. Kruglozerny cook in a slow cooker for 20-30 minutes (depending on whether it was first soaked, whether it was poured with cold or hot water). Long grain rice in a slow cooker is cooked for 30-40 minutes. Cooking brown rice takes from 40 minutes to 1 hour. If you decide to cook rice for a couple, then you must first soak it. After that, it is boiled for 30-60 minutes, depending on the variety.
For cooking rice for a side dish in a slow cooker, they usually use the program “Rice”, “Pilaf” or similar, which is intended for cooking dishes from cereals. If your device has the minimum number of functions, the “Cooking” program (or even “Soup”) will do. After cooking, the food can be left for 10-20 minutes in the heating mode, then it will become even tastier.
Often rice for garnish is made with vegetables. Vegetables can be used without additional heat treatment, if they require less time to cook than to cook the rice itself. But more often the vegetables are pre-fried or stewed. To do this, use the program “Hot”, “Baking” or “Quenching”.
Turmeric or saffron are added to make the rice appetizing yellow. Adding milk, on the other hand, will make it even whiter.

There are a huge number of options for rice garnish. All these foods can be cooked in a slow cooker. Knowing the basic principles of this process, you will be able to make rice as a side dish according to your own recipes, without fear that it will stick together or burn.

A simple recipe for cooking in a rice cooker as a garnish

Caloric content of the dish: 1759 kcal (without oil 1460), per 100 g: 142 (122) kcal.

Composition:

long grain rice - 0, 4 kg;
water - 0, 8 l;
salt, seasonings - to taste;
butter (optional) - 40 g.

Method of preparation:

Rinse the rice to clear water. Fill with warm water, after a couple of minutes, drain the water, put the rice in the multicooker bowl.
Add salt and spices, focusing on your taste. Fill the rice with water.
Turn on the multicooker by selecting the “Pic”, “Pilaf” program or similar. If the unit does not turn off when the dish is ready, automatically, set the timer to 40 minutes.
When the main program finishes, add butter to the rice. Stir it, leave in heating mode for another 10 minutes.

After the indicated time, rice can be laid out on plates, next to it you can put the main dish and invite the household to the table.

Yellow rice on the side dish cooked in a slow cooker

Caloric content of the dish: 1099 kcal, per 100 g: 203 kcal.

Composition:

round grain rice - 0, 2 kg;
water or broth - 0, 3 l;
turmeric is a large pinch;
salt - to taste;
olive oil - 40 ml.

Method of preparation:

Rinse rice to clean water.
Pour oil into the multicooker bowl. Turn on the unit by selecting the “Frying” program. If it is not available, you can select the “Baking” program.
Pour rice into a multicooker container, fry it for 5 minutes.
Boil water or broth.
Add salt and turmeric to rice, cover with hot broth.
Run the program “Plov” or similar. Cook rice for 20 minutes. Then put the unit in heating mode.

After 10-20 minutes, rice can be laid out on plates and used as a side dish. It will get an appetizing yellow color, it will turn out gentle and crumbly.

Rice for a couple in a crock-pot

Calorie dishes: 706 kcal, per 100 g: 99 kcal.

Composition:

rice - 0, 2 kg;
water - as needed;
soy sauce - to taste.

Method of preparation:

Rinse the rice, soak for 15-30 minutes (depending on its variety).
Lay a foil on the grid for steaming. Toothpick do it a lot of small holes. If you do not use foil, rice grains can fall into the main bowl.
Put the rice on a grid covered with foil.
Fill the main bowl of the multicooker with water, filling the bowl approximately in half.
Set the grid with rice, turn on the device in the steam cooking mode. Set the timer to 30-40 minutes, depending on the variety of rice used.
After completion of the main program, leave the rice for 20 minutes in heating mode.

Pour the soy sauce over the rice or serve the sauce separately so that everyone can add this ingredient to taste.

Rice with onions and carrots in a slow cooker

Calorie dishes: 989 kcal, per 100 g: 121 kcal.

Composition:

long grain rice - 0, 2 kg;
carrots - 100 g;
onions - 100 g;
water - 0, 4 l;
refined vegetable oil - 20 ml;
salt, spices - to taste.

Method of preparation:

Rice rinse well.
Scrape carrots, wash, dry with a towel. Grind it on a coarse grater.
Onion, freeing from the husk, cut into small cubes.
Pour oil into the bowl of the multicooker, put onions and carrots in it.
Turn on the unit by activating the program “Frying” or “Baking”.
Fry vegetables until soft, add salt, spices and prepared rice cereal to them. Fill with water or broth.
Change the program to the one that is intended for preparing meals from cereals. It may be called “Kasha”, “Pilaf”, “Buckwheat” or otherwise.
Cook rice for 30-40 minutes, depending on its variety.
Stir the dish, leave it in heating mode for 10-20 minutes.

Onions and carrots are affordable vegetables that are found in almost every home. Their addition to dishes from cereals allows you to give the dish a brighter taste and aroma. Rice is no exception.

Rice with vegetables and green peas in a slow cooker

Calorie dishes: 1346 kcal, per 100 g: 134 kcal.

Composition:

rice cereal - 180 g;
water - 0, 3 l;
carrots - 120 g;
onions - 120 g;
sweet pepper - 120 g;
frozen green peas - 100 g;
refined vegetable oil - 60 ml;
salt, spices - to taste;
garlic - 2 cloves.

Method of preparation:

Rinse the rice, cover with clean water, leave for 15-30 minutes.
Wash and clean the vegetables.
Cut the carrots into small cubes (the size of a pea). Pepper cut into square pieces of slightly larger size. Finely chop the onion and garlic.
Pour oil into the multicooker bowl, put the onion and garlic in it.
Turn the appliance on for 15 minutes in frying or baking mode.
5 minutes after the unit starts working, add carrots. After another 5 minutes - pepper and green peas. Peas before adding can not be defrosted.
Drain the rice, put it on the vegetables. Add salt and seasonings.
Boil water or broth, add food.
Turn on the device again, but in the mode of cooking cereals. If necessary, set the cooking time set for 20-30 minutes - depending on what kind of rice was used.

According to this recipe, rice is so tasty that it can be served not only as a side dish, but also as a main dish.

A tasty side dish of rice can not be cooked for everyone, but the slow cooker allows even an inexperienced cook to cope with the task. It is only necessary to study the features of technology and choose a recipe.