As a college student, my schedule is packed and busy. Since moving into an apartment this year for the first time, I’ve been adjusting to having a kitchen and cooking all my own meals. After being inspired by countless trending videos of rice cooker meals on social media, I gave it a try and it’s quickly become one of my go-to recipes. It serves more so as a template for meals than a recipe I have to stick to, which makes it that much more convenient and fun to play around with.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 cup uncooked white rice (I use long grain)
- Water or chicken/vegetable broth up to the 1 cup line in the rice cooker
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 cup veggies of your choice
- 4-6 oz protein of your choice
After that, add in your veggies of choice. Any of the following could be good, or feel free to experiment with your own:
- Carrots
- Corn
- Mushrooms (king oyster, cremini, portobello, white, etc.)
- Bok choy
- Onion (white or yellow)
- Broccoli
- Edamame
For the veggies, the only guideline I follow is to make sure they are all cut into sizes that will cook them to the desired texture under the plain or quick rice cooker setting.
Next, layer the protein on top. I would recommend marinating the protein if you have time. There are many great marinade ideas online, from soy garlic to honey sesame, or you can create your own. Protein ideas are below, but also feel free to experiment with your own:
- Diced chicken thigh or breast
- Diced pork belly
- Beef, lamb, or pork rolls
- Cubed firm tofu
- Chickpeas
- Spam
- Chinese sausage
As a general guideline for the meats, I would recommend choosing protein that has a good amount of fat or something that will stay moist once cooked.
After all the ingredients are inside, turn the rice cooker to the plain rice setting.
Once it’s done, mix everything together and fluff it up. Optionally, you can make a sauce for the rice cooker meal if you’d like. There’s lots of room for experimentation there, but below are two of my favorites: miso soy glaze and garlic, ginger, and scallion oil.
For the miso soy glaze, combine equal parts of miso, soy sauce, and honey. Add water to bring it to the desired texture.
For the garlic, ginger, and scallion oil, combine equal parts finely minced garlic and ginger and sliced scallions. Heat oil until almost smoking and pour over the aromatics.
Here are some of my favorite combinations:
- Chicken, broccoli, and onion with the garlic, ginger, and scallion oil
- Tofu, carrot, and edamame with the miso soy glaze
- Chinese sausage, mushrooms, and bok choy
Overall, I love my easy rice cooker meals. I can eat these for days and change it up often with different ingredients and sauce combos so I don’t get bored. Give it a try and see what creative combos you come up with!