Rice Cooker Casserole

I have had a rice cooker for many years now - in fact I am on my second one. In that time, a "Rice Cooker Casserole" has become my standby thing to do when tired, or busy, or just when I have smallish quantities of leftover scraps of cooked meat and vegetables in need of using up.

It's all very simple. Measure the dry rice and cooking liquids into the cooker pan in the normal ratio, then pile sliced/diced or frozen veggies, and / or diced leftover meat / ham or frozen cooked prawns and the like on top of the rice. Add some herbs / spices / seasonings, put on the lid and switch on. And forget about it for a bit.

Today, for instance, I have some leftover slow-cooked beef to use up.

In to the rice cooker goes a measured 8 fl.oz. of basmati rice, and then the measured 12fl.oz. of cooking liquid in the form of mostly water with a dash of dry sherry.

On top of that goes diced onion, root ginger, carrots, green beans and fresh tomatoes. Then some sliced cloves of Ninniko Misozuke (Japanese style garlic pickled in miso), the diced leftover beef, and a few spoonsful of oyster sauce and Korean chilli paste. Finally, a drizzle of toasted sesame oil adds deliciousness and fragrance.

Once the cooking cycle has finished, let the casserole continue to steam on standby mode for 10 minutes, to ensure all the toppings have cooked through. Mix everything together with the rice paddle, and serve.

Any leftover Rice Cooker Casserole makes for a great bento-style lunchbox...