Eat more fast food! Salmon and Brown Rice.
(recipe follows)
salmon with brown rice, steamed
Fast food can be from a rice cooker. In the morning before work I set up my rice cooker with 1/2 cup of brown rice and a large pinch of long grain rice. I lay a piece of salmon, a stalk of celery, and some sliced shallots with a bay leaf. One cup of water and a jigger of dry Vermouth, set the rice cooker to turn on at 11:30 and I’m off — I have to make money to cook. Just before I get back my apartment fills with a warm aroma. Lunch is ready, and so am I!
This is a favorite way to make fast food. It’s often fish, but it could be chicken or any cut of not too fatty meat. I prefer stock when I have it, but water will do. As for vegetables, there are three types:
- Those that mix in you mince
- Those you take out leave in a large pice
- Those you remove as a side dish to your plate.
I like finely sliced shallots, onions, leeks; cubed carrots, parsnips, fennel to mix in. When there’s a random carrot or stalk of celery — or celery leaves — I place them in whole for easy removal. And when I have something like broccoli, cauliflower, or a green like spinach I lay them to one side so they’re easy to remove to my plate after the rice cookier finishes.
For additional flavor a sprig of herbs, easy to remove, goes on top (often it’s bay leaf, thyme, marjoram; ephemeral aromatics like tarragon go on just after the lid opens) while the smell from a splash of dry white wine or Vermouth stimulates your appetite.
Have some fast food for lunch tomorrow.
salmon with brown rice, just before steaming
Steamed Salmon with Brown Rice
tier one (you must use)
- 1 or 2 slices of salmon
- up to 1/2 cup of an aromatic vegetable such as shallot, onion, leek
- up to 1 cup of rice (I prefer brown rice)
- up to 2 cups liquid** (a blend of water and chicken or vegetable stock is best)
tier two (suggested)
- up to 1/4 cup of wine added to the volume of liquid, not separate from it
- aromatics such as 1 stalk celery and/or carrot (for flavoring, not eating)
- seasoning (1 bay leaf, sprig of thyme, parsley stem)
tier three (optional)
- 1/2 tomato (to eat as a side)
- a few florets of broccoli or cauliflower (to eat after as a side)
- minced bacon (to flavor the dish)
- salmon roe (to garnish after it’s finished)
Method:
Place the minced bacon at the bottom of a rice cooker vessel. Add the rice and layer the fish, and all the whole vegetables you’re using. Keep the vegetables you’re discarding on the very top for easy removal. Pour over the liquid, add the seasoning and cook according to rice cookers directions.
When finished discard the aromatics, remove the vegetables and fish to a bowl or plate and stir the rice in the cooker to bend any flavorings which settled on the bottom and sides together. Serve with salmon roe.
The standard ratio is 1 cup rice for 2 parts liquid. The vegetables you add and the fish will all add liquid to the dish. If you’re adding lots of vegetables you can reduce the liquid by a 1/4 cup to preserve the ratio.
Salmon and brown rice after opening rice cooker. discard the celery and bay leaf, remove the fish to a plate, and stir the shallots into the rice then serve.
Reblogged this on Forget the Viagra, Pass Me a Carrot and commented:
My favorite foods together and a great alternative to some fast foods. Other blogs on this site also have some personal stories attached and add that little bit of extra seasoning to the recipes.
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Superb in its simplicity. As an aside, the cherry blossoms started blooming here this weekend. Bizarre weather in the states. Thanks, too, for the recipe.
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It looks like you’ve been cooking up a storm! Great job.
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Looks and sounds delicious. The rice cooker is a great piece of equipment. As you know from my own blog, I have used it very successfully as a Sous Vide bath. I would love you to try it with your magic touch and let me know how you get on and maybe give me some tips.
by the way the weather here in England is miserable. 😦
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The weather in Japan has decided to imitate British weather. It’s cold and wet.
Actually, I JUST purchased a sous vide. I’ll eventually write a post for it, but there’s a small, affordable option now. Google Nomiku.
For the rice cooker, more coming. 🙂
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I have to try that. I think I will go for an Asian-style alternative
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This is AMAZING! Where has this post been all my life? Even I can do this 🙂
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Even a vego like me can say with truthfulness that this looks really yummy! So I do. [grin]
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Thank ya, M.R.
🙂
Is it fall down there, yet? Spring has been peaking out for the past week here.
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It will be on Saturday! – but it’s still fuckin HUMID and depressingly so. The older I get the less I can tolerate humidity. Our temperatures aren’t bad, but the sweat factor is appalling. [whinge whine] Sorry, Steven …
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