When you have the perfect summer day ahead of you, the last place you want to be is cooped up in the kitchen. Sure, we love cooking, but there’s sun to soak up, a pool to jump into, and fun to be had with your family—not your stovetop!
Enter the rice cooker, which can feed a crowd and get you more outdoor time with easy, fuss-free cooking. Set it, forget it, and wow your family with these three recipes:
- Rice Cooker Salmon Sushi “Bake”
- Rice Cooker Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl)
- Rice Cooker Pork Adobo Rice
How long should you cook rice in the rice cooker?
The cooking time for rice depends on your rice cooker model and the grain you’re using.
Rice Cooker
Rice cookers range from old-school, one-button models to fancier machines that offer multiple settings. It’s best to check your rice cooker’s manual for specific instructions. Otherwise, use the measuring cup included with the rice cooker to follow your desired rice-to-water ratio.
However long you cook your rice, letting it rest 5–10 minutes after cooking helps with absorbing any remaining moisture. We like to use a fork to fluff up the rice and keep the grains separate.
Rice Grains
Different rice grains have their own water ratios and cook times.
Generally, longer and less processed grains need more water and time. For example, long-grain white rice cooks up fluffy with a 2:1 water-to-rice ratio; short-grain white rice cooks up tender with a 1:1 ratio.
The recipes in this list use Japanese short-grain white rice and jasmine rice, a long-grain variety. We’ve figured out the water ratio for you in the instructions!
Rice Cooker Salmon Sushi “Bake”
Ingredients
Salmon Sushi "Bake"
- 500g salmon fillet, skin-off
- 1 ½ tbsp Maggi Magic Sarap
- 2 cups Japanese rice, preferably koshihikari
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie
- ¼ cup Sriracha
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
For Serving
- 6–8 pieces kani (crabsticks)
- 1 cold Japanese cucumber, cubed
- 1 cold ripe mango, cubed
- 5–6 packs toasted nori or seaweed sheets
Season fish: Place salmon fillets in a small tray. Season with Maggi Magic Sarap, using your hands to rub the seasoning all over the fish. Set aside.
Wash rice: Wash rice by placing the grains in a large bowl and covering them with water. Using your hand, swirl grains until water becomes cloudy. Drain water, keeping the rice in the bowl. Repeat 3–4 times or until the water runs clear.
Cook fish and rice: Add washed rice to the the bowl of your rice cooker. Add 2 cups water plus mirin and rice vinegar. Arrange seasoned salmon fillets over the bed of rice. Cover and turn on rice cooker. Cook until salmon is opaque and rice has absorbed all the liquid, about 20–30 minutes. Remove salmon from the rice cooker and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
Finish salmon rice: Once salmon is cool enough to handle, use your fingers to shred the salmon into small flakes. Return salmon flakes to the cooked rice. Add mayonnaise, Sriracha, and sesame oil (you can combine these three beforehand for easier mixing). Mix everything together until rice is evenly colored and salmon flakes are well distributed. Let cool.
Assemble and serve: Transfer rice mixture into an aluminum tray or any rectangular sharing-friendly vessel. Spread rice up to the edges, forming a single even layer. Using your fingers, break up crabsticks into string-like pieces, then scatter on top of the rice. Add cubed cucumber and mango on top, distributing them evenly across the rice. Finish with a zigzag drizzle of mayo. Add Sriracha to taste, if desired.
Serve sushi “bake” with sheets of nori. Fill up each piece of nori with a spoonful of sushi “bake” like a taco, and eat in one bite.
Rice Cooker Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl)
Ingredients
Beef
- 500-600g thinly sliced beef, like samgyupsal or sukiyaki cut
- 1 tbsp Maggi Magic Sarap
Rice
- 2 cups short-grain Japanese rice
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tsp instant dashi
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 1 white onion, sliced thinly
For Serving
- minced green onions
- sesame seeds
Season beef: Combine sliced beef and Maggi Magic Sarap in a mixing bowl. Using your hand, turn beef to make sure that it is evenly coated with seasoning. Set aside.
Wash rice: Wash rice by placing the grains in a large bowl and covering them with water. Using your hand, swirl grains until water becomes cloudy. Drain water, keeping the rice in the bowl. Repeat 3–4 times or until the water runs clear.
Cook rice: Transfer washed rice to the bowl of your rice cooker. Add 1 ½ cup water plus soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, dashi, brown sugar, and ginger to the rice. Stir well. Add white onions in an even layer over the rice. Arrange sliced beef over the onions evenly. Cover and turn on rice cooker to cook, about 20–30 minutes.
Serve: Divide rice between 4–5 bowls. Top with cooked onions and beef. You can also mix the rice, onions, and beef together before serving. Garnish each serving with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve hot.
Rice Cooker Pork Adobo Rice
Ingredients
Pork Adobo
- 500g pork belly, cut into 1- to 2-inch thick slices
- ¾ cup suka or vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup toyo or soy sauce
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Maggi Magic Sarap
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
Rice
- 2 cups long-grain rice, preferably jasmine, washed
- 1 ¾ cups water
Cook adobo: Combine adobo ingredients in the bowl of your rice cooker. If you like, you can sear the pork belly in your rice cooker until brown on all sides first—this step adds extra flavor—before adding the other ingredients. Cover and turn on rice cooker. Cook adobo until pork is tender, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Cook rice: Uncover rice cooker and remove pork pieces; set aside. You should have rendered pork fat and adobo sauce left in the rice cooker bowl. Add rice and water, then cover and turn on rice cooker again. Cook rice until grains have fluffed up and absorbed all of the liquid, about 30 minutes.
Serve: Divide adobo rice between 2 to 4 serving bowls. Top with pork belly and enjoy steaming hot.
