Cooking Rice

Probably like you, many of the meals I cook, involve serving them with rice and if you own a thermal cooker there are two way to deal with this.
As my Shuttle Chef has only one inner pot (some thermal cooker have two) I can either put a trivet in the bottom (its legs in the food) and put something like my cake tin containing part boiled rice on the trivet or I can cook my rice about 30 minutes before I want to eat in a separate saucepan.
In the past I have tried many methods of cooking rice. These include Jamie Oliver's rice cooking method from his book "Ministry of Food" and Madhur Jaffrey's methods from her book "Illustrated Indian Cookery". All of these work but take far more time than my method and do not seem to be any better.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of rice per person. I always use Basmati rice except for when I am cooking Thai food. With Thai I prefer Jasmine rice.
• 1 cup of water for each 1/2 cup of rice.
• Salt to taste.

Method:

1. Add the water to a saucepan.
2. Add salt tasting the water until you can taste the salt. Vary the amount to your taste but remember if you can't taste the salt in the water your rice will tend to be bland.
3. Bring the water to the boil.
4. Pour the rice into the boiling water and bring it back to the boil.
5. Boil it gently (a rolling boil) for 5 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat and put a lid on the pan.
7. Leave for about 30 minutes and you then will have perfectly cooked rice.
8. Before serving fluff up with a fork.

Useful guide to cooking times

I though that today I would post this useful little chart from The Thermal Cooker site. It will give you a basic idea of cooking times for your own menues. Most slow cooker recipes can be used in the thermal cooker and by using either the times in a similar recipe or the times below you should end up with a perfectly cooked meal.

Food:	Simmer time after bringing to the boil:	Thermal cooking time:
Rice	5 mins	1 to 1.5 hours
Potatoes	5 mins	1 to 2 hours
Soup & Stock	10 mins	2 to 3 hours
Green Lentils	10 mins	3 to 4 hours
Pintos	10 mins	3 hours
Split Peas	10 mins	2 hours
Quinoa	5 mins	1.5 hours
Millet	5 mins	1 hours
Polenta	1 mins	1 hours
Winter Squash	5 mins	1 to 2 hours
Steamed bread	30 mins	3 hours
Chicken	6 mins	2 to 3 hours
Beef	13 mins	3 to 4 hours

Boiled fruit cake - Mr D's Thermal Cook Book

I thought today that I would give you a recipe that we have done so many times and always gets great comments when people try it. This fruit cake was one of the first recipes I tried and I couldn't believe how good the cake was. You really must give it a try.

Apart from your thermal cooker you will also need a fixed base cake tin, some baking or greaseproof paper and something to raise the cake tin from the bottom. I use for this a food ring.


THE INGREDIENTS

• 375 gms of mixed dried fruit.
• 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar.
• 1 tsp of mixed spice.
• Grated rind of an orange.
• 1/2 a cup of water or orange juice.
• 1/4 of a cup of whisky you could use sherry instead (optional).
• 125 gms of butter.
• 2 lightly beatened eggs.
• 1 cup self raising flour.
• 1 cup plain flour.
• 1/2 tsp of soda bicarb.

OPTIONAL: you can replace the water, liquor and sugar with a 450 gram tin of crushed pineapple.

THE METHOD:

1. Place the dried fruit into a saucepan with the brown sugar, mixed spice, orange rind, water, liquor and butter.
2. Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
3. Allow the mixture to cool.
4. Mix in the eggs.
5. Stir in the sifted flour and soda bicarb.
6. Line a 16 cm round cake tin or Pyrex dish (one that fits nicely into the inner pot) with baking paper.
7. Spoon the mixture into this prepared cake tin.
8. Lay a round of baking paper on top of the cake mixture then cover the tin with a trimmed piece of foil to prevent condensation from seeping in.
9. Place a trivet or metal pastry ring in the base of the inner pot and rest the cake tin on this. (If you are using the 3 litre pot the cake tin can sit on a folded pad of foil).
10. Pour enough hot water into the inner pot so that the level comes halfway up the sides of the cake tin.
11. Bring the water to the boil.
12. Put the lid on and turn down the heat to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
13. Turn off the heat and transfer the inner pot into the insulated container for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours.
    

Note: As the cake cannot dry out or overcook you can actually leave this cake over night before removing it to serve.

Andrews Spare Ribs - from Mr D's Thermal Cook Book

Last night we had some of the family around and I decided to BBQ, I know the weather was not so good but stiff upper lid and all that. I had decided to use the Cobb BBQ for the barbie with Lokkii briquettes.The lokkii briquettes are completely organic and have an organic firelighter so they are both convenient and eco friendly.

I wanted to include spare ribs in the menu as I had some in the freezer. These work well on the BBQ but are even better if cooked slowly in the Shuttle Chef so I put together a simple recipe "Andrews Spare Ribs". The reason they are called this is that a Filipino chef who unfortunately is no longer with us taught me how to cook spare ribs this way and guess what his name was Andrew.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg Spare Ribs.
• 1 Red Onion chopped
• 500ml bottle tomato ketchup
• 3 cups of water
• 1 magi stock cube
• 2 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcester Sauce
• 1 cup of Sprite *
• 1/2 tsp salt

* Sprite is used as a tenderiser.

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients into your thermal cooker.
2. Bring top the boil.
3. Skim off any impurities that form on the surface.
4. Turn down to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes put into thermal cooker outer pot.
6. Leave for minimum 3 hours to cook.
7. Serve with the lovely rich tomato sauce.

Lamb (or Mutton) Biriani - from Mr D's Thermal Cook Book

This Indian biriani, adapted for the Shuttle Chef, can be served on its own as a scrumptious meal, or dressed up for a festive occasion with fresh tomato chutney, vegetable curry side-dishes and crunchy popadoms. The lamb (mutton) needs to marinade for an hour at least (overnight if convenient). If you are cooking in the morning and want to save time
then brown the onions the night before.


Ingredients for 6 - 8 servings (halve the ingredients for 3 people).

• 1 kilo lamb (or muttton) cut into 2 cm cube pieces (I prefer shoulder)
  

For the marinade

• 4 green chillies (seeded and finely chopped)


• Coriander leaves (chopped - about 1 cup full)


• 1 clove garlic (crushed with salt)


• 2 teaspoons cumin powder


• 1 teaspoon chilli powder


• 1 teaspoon garam masala


• 1 small carton plain yoghurt (approximately 2 large serving spoons)

For the biriani:

• 4 medium onions (thinly sliced)


• Oil or ghee (about 1 desertspoon)


• 1/2 kilo potatoes (can be either old potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks, or new potatoes halved)


• Pinch of saffron (optional, but adds a suble flavour)


• 3 cups of long grain Basmati or Patna rice

For garnish

• 100 gms cashew nuts (or shredded almonds)


• 125 grams sultanas
  
  

Method:

1. Cut the lamb (mutton) into cubes.


2. Chop the chillies finely, crush the garllic, chop the coriander leaves and mix all with the spices and yoghurt.


3. Coat the meat with the marinade, cover and put in the fridge for 1 hour or longer.


4. Chop the onions, then fry in ghee or oil until golden with some browning (they should taste sweet). Remove from pan.


5. Add a little ghee or oil to the pan and heat marinaded lamb to seal the meat. (I prefer to add the meat a third at a time so that it is easier to turn.)


6. When the lamb is simmering hot, add the potatoes and 1/2 the fried onions. Stir well and bring back to simmer.


7. Mix the rice with 5 cups of boiling water and 1 desertspoon of salt.


8. Put the saffron in 1/2 cup hot water.


9. Stir 1/2 the rice into the lamb and potatoes, then spoon the other 1/2 of the rice and water on top.


10. Sprinkle the saffron water onto the top of the rice.


11. Make sure it is all simmering hot, put the lid on the Shuttle Chef pan and place it in the Shuttle Chef.


12. Leave to cook in the Shuttle Chef for 2 1/2 hours to get really tender, succulent meat. (You can leave the biriani cooking in the Shuttle Chef for up to 7 hours - the tatse is superb and the rice is still separate.)
    
    

To serve

Heat the remaining 1/2 of the browned onions, then add the nuts and sultananas. Stir occasionally until heated (the sultanas will plump). Open the Shuttle Chef and stir the onion, nuts and sultana garnish into the top layer of rice. Serve with Tomato Chutney.

Tomato Chutney

• 1 small green chilli (deseed and chop very finely)


• 1/2 medium onion (chop finely) I prefer sweet red onion.


• 3 large or 4 medium toamtoes (chopped)


• 1 desertspoon vinegar1 teaspoon sugar


• Good pinch salt
  

Method:

Stir all ingredients together, cover and leave in a cool place for flavours to blend.

Poached Guinea Fowl with Vegetables - from Mr D's cookbook.

Last night we wanted something light so I put together this delightful dish of poached guinea fowl with vegetables. I served it with the perfectly cooked vegetables and drizzled over the light stock created from the poaching liquid. By poaching the guinea fowl it is moist and takes on the wonderful flavours of the fennel and other vegetables.
There was enough for 3 people but as there was only two I saved the stock we had left over, shredded the remaining Guinea fowl into it and will have it as a soup today. You could use the same recipe with chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg Guinea fowl


• 6 carrots peeled and cut into 5cm chunks.


• 2 medium leeks cleaned and cut into 5cm lengths.


• 20 small potatoes washed but not peeled.


• 1 fennel bulb sliced.


• 4 celery sticks halved.


• 1 bay leaf.


• Water.


• 2 Vegetable stock cubes or my preferred way of making stock is to use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Powder (obtainable from most supermarkets) . If using this add 1 tablespoon.


• Salt and freshly ground pepper.

Method:

1. Wash the guinea fowl.


2. Place the guinea fowl into the inner pot of the thermal cooker.


3. Add the carrots and leeks into the pot.


4. Add the sliced fennel bulb, celery and the potatoes.


5. Put enough water to cover all the ingredients in the pot.


6. Add the stock cubes or powder.


7. Bring to the boil.


8. Turn down the heat to a simmer and put the lid on the pot.


9. Simmer for 10 minutes then put the inner pot into the outer pot.


10. Shut the leave and leave for a minimum of 2 hours to cook..


11. Once cooked adjust the stock for seasoning.


12. Serve spooning some of the stock over the guinea fowl.
    

Beef Curry - for 2 people (Double everything for 4)

I made this curry for the first time last night in my Shuttle Chef. Because of the lack of quantity I decided to cook it in a container and partly immerse it in water in the cooker. This way of cooking is ideal for meals that do not have much liquid content or if you are cooking just for one or two people.

Ingredients:

500g beef cut into 2-3cm cubes (you could use lamb if you prefer)
1 tbsp of ghee (I prefer ghee for flavour but vegetable oil can be used instead)
100g of yogurt
1/2 tsp of cornflour
100g tomatoes chopped and skinned (tinned tomatoes are ideal)
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic grated or chopped very finely
6 cardamoms (these need splitting open. I do this by squeezing )
2 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp of turmeric powder
1 tbsp of coriander powder
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp of salt (check before serving and add a little more if needed)

Method: ( You will need a pot that fits in the inner pot of the thermal cooker. I use my 6" cake tin in mine. You will also need something to stand the tin on in the inner pot. A food ring would do fine.)

1. Blend the cornflour with the yogurt in a bowl.


2. In a frying pan add the ghee and garlic


3. Heat the pan making sure the garlic does not burn.


4. Add the meat and brown.


5. Once browned add everything else and bring to the boil.


6. Once boiling put it into you cake tin and cover with parchment paper or foil to form a lid. Also you will need to make a handle either with string or a sling out of foil so that you can easily lift out the tin when cooked.


7. Put the food ring in the bottom of the thermal cooker inner pot.


8. Fill with boiling water up to the top of the food ring.


9. Put the cake tin into the inner pot.


10. Carefully top up with boiling water by pouring down the side (making sure that you don't pour it over the lid you made to cover the cake tin) until it is about 3/4 of the way up the side of the tin.


11. Put the inner pot onto a heat source and bring back to the boil.


12. Once boiling put on the lid and turn down to a simmer.


13. Simmer for 10 minutes then turn off the heat and put the inner pot into the thermal cooker outer pot and close the lid.


14. Cook for a minimum of 3 hours. Longer wont be a problem.


15. Serve with boiled rice.