A Rice Cooker and Mock-Thai

I'm so happy with this new rice cooker in my kitchen. It satisfies the deepest, laziest urges that I have, and believe me when I say that I have some crazy lazy urges.

Realize that I have fought the anti-rice cooker fight for well over a year now, probably much closer to two. It's a single use appliance, says I. How dare you suggest such a thing, begone with you else you should taste my wrath! Even though I've never enjoyed cooking rice I always fought with long tooth and sharp nail against a rice cooker, rebelling against such a simple unitasker.

Enter my practical streak mixed with my truly strong desire to eat rice on a more consistent basis. Oh, the dilemma. Oh, the internal struggles. Not even Poe had internal struggles like mine.

In the end, of course, practicality and laziness won out. And I can't honestly say that I'm displeased. It's not like I was using that counter space anyhow. It performed like a dream, and the rice wasn't even too dry after it had been finished cooking and warming for a little while. No watching, no worries. Pour it in, flip a switch, and watch it go. I can't wait to experiment with different types of rice - this was just a long white grain.

Here's the quick recipe for the Mock-Thai Stirfry that I threw on top of it. Customize to suit your needs. The ingredients are almost certainly already in your pantry, and if not you should be deeply ashamed for not having such wonderful things as lime juice or soy sauce. Ashamed, I say.

Mock-Thai Stirfry
(serves however many damned people you need it to)

Ingredients

• Mustard
• Soy sauce
• Lime juice (preferably fresh)
• Tofu, cubed (Cubed seitan would work, too.)
• Carrot, sliced
• Broccoli, chopped
• A small handful of flour (Preferably whole wheat. A few tablespoons should do it per 2 servings)
• Spices and herbs (I used tumeric, sweet basil, epazote, and cumin. Small amounts of everything, heavier on the tumeric and cumin. Just the lightest touch of epazote.)
• Cooked rice
  

Take your cubed tofu and pan fry it for a couple minutes over medium heat in some cooking oil to get it nice and warmed up. Mix the flour and your choice of spices together in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture over the tofu. Toss it vigorously to mix. After letting that fry for a few moments to allow the flour to really adhere to the tofu you'll want to throw in your carrots and broccoli (you can also use peas, cooked potato, zuchinni... lots of options in the veggie department). Let this simmer for a minute or two, allowing the veggies to soften a little. Take the soy sauce and shake some into the pan. Definitely not too much, maybe the equivalent of 1 - 2 teaspoons per 2 servings, depending on taste. Squirt some lime juice into the pan and add some of the mustard to taste, no more than a tablespoon per 2 servings. Mix this up pretty well and it's ready to serve over rice! Quick and easy.