I used to royally fail at making a decent pot of rice. Noah suggested I get a rice cooker. 😃 So I asked for one for Christmas a couple of years ago and oldest son, Bradley and his fiancé Lauren gifted me with an easy to use model I love. It was only a matter of time to find it could cook more than plan old white rice. Fried Rice in a rice cooker was born!

It took a lot of pots of sticky, gommy rice to figure out the directions on a typical bag couldn’t possibly be right. I started doing some research and discovered 1 cup of rice to 1-1/2 cups of water is the correct ratio. Once I had that down, experimenting with different types of rice came next. By far, our favorite is basmati. It costs more, but the taste and aroma is definitely worth it. The next logical step was coming up with a killer side dish that was easy to make and not a lot of fuss.

I started with just substituting chicken stock for the water, but it was still a rather boring affair. Then Noah made a delicious pan of chicken fried rice on the stove for supper one evening and the wheels started turning in my brain. Why not put some of those same ingredients he used into the rice cooker from the outset? Yes, yes, yes! Do it. Just do it.

The taste and aroma are out of this world but it only takes a touch!

Rice Cooker “Fried” Rice

1 cup basmati rice
1-1/2 cups water or chicken stock (or 1 packet of Goya chicken seasoning with the water)
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. oyster sauce
1/2 cup frozen peas & carrot mix
Salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients in the the rice cooker. Close the lid and press the “white rice” setting. When done, stir and taste. Adjust seasonings to your preference.

Optional mix-ins after rice cooker cycle has completed:

Steamed broccoli, snow pea pods, bean sprouts, diced water chestnuts, rotisserie chicken, sautéed pork or beef, or fried tofu.

Happy eating! 😊