When we first posted our Easy Chicken Chorizo Paella recipe, some readers were asking if it could be made in a rice cooker. Which got me thinking. What a brilliant idea.
Using a rice cooker for paella would certainly deviate from the dish’s authenticity (we’re already expecting cries of outrage in the comments. Have at it!), but it would certainly make that ultimate one-pot meal so much simpler. No more soggy rice or blackened rice bottoms.
In Chinese, this technique is called men fan (焖饭). Recipes like Chicken and Mushroom Clay Pot Rice, Hong Kong Style Clay Pot Rice and Shanghai Cai Fan all use this same technique but could also be turned into rice cooker recipes. For this dish of ribs and rice, however, we will be using the unassuming rice cooker instead of the clay pot for our first of hopefully many rice cooker recipes.
These days, a good rice cooker is a great investment, from modern models to simpler, more functional ones but the best rice cooker will be a simple model that does rice well rather than Swiss army knife versions that claim to steam, make porridge, etc.. They are great multitaskers, often with settings for regular rice, brown rice, sticky rice, porridge, soup, steaming, etc. With clear markings on the inside of most rice cookers to guide you in achieving the perfect rice to liquid ratio, you won’t go wrong.
This may be cliché of us to say as an Asian family, but it’s probably the most used countertop appliance in our kitchen, next to the coffee machine, of course. Just remember one thing: when measuring your rice, always use the cup-measuring tool that comes with the rice cooker. It’s usually different than the normal measuring cups you’d use when baking.
If you don’t have a measuring tool, just use the finger trick. Add rice to the rice cooker and even it out. Measure the level of the rice with your index finger, and then add the same level of water. That’s it!
If you have not purchased a rice cooker yet, then you really should consider purchasing one and we recommend that you purchase a simple one for cooking rice. Check out our Chinese Cooking Tools page for some more information and some useful links to products.
Okay, let’s get started with this delicious one pot meal. Feel free to use chicken instead of pork, add more vegetables, or make your own version by using this recipe as a guideline. I hope this recipe will germinate many more great one-pot meals for you and your family. Just let your rice cooker do most of the work and the possibles for variations of rice cooker recipes are endless.
To marinate the ribs:
- 1 lb pork ribs, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
You’ll also need:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, washed, soaked, drained, and cut in half (see note!)
- 3 slices ginger, chopped
- 3-5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups uncooked rice
- Water (use the amount appropriate to the type of rice you’re using and your rice cooker’s instructions)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
Note: You can substitute the dried shiitakes with fresh mushrooms. If you do use dried mushrooms, and you like that earthy mushroom flavor, strain the mushroom soaking liquid through a fine mesh strainer and use it to cook the rice.
Ok, here’s how to make it:
Toss the ribs with the marinade ingredients and set aside for 1 hour.
When you’re ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until caramelized. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok (over high heat this time), and brown the marinated ribs.
Once browned, turn the heat down to medium, and add the ginger, garlic, and sugar.
Stir-fry for a minute, and then add the carrots, light soy sauce, and ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the liquid has almost all evaporated.
While the ribs are simmering, add the rice to the rice cooker and add the proper amount of water (according to your rice cooker instructions/type of rice you’re using). This is when you can strain and add some of the liquid the mushrooms were soaking in, if desired. Alternatively, you could also use chicken, pork, or vegetable stock. Stir in the shiitake mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt.
Shake the pot around a little so the rice and liquid is in an even layer. Spread the rib mixture over the rice. Place it into the rice cooker and press the button to start it. Your dinner is now underway.
Most rice cookers these days will tell you how many minutes are left in the cooking process. When there are 5 minutes of cooking time left, open the rice cooker lid, quickly sprinkle the peas on top, immediately cover the lid and let it finish cooking. When it’s done, serve!
- 1 lb pork ribs, cut into small pieces
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, washed, soaked, drained, and cut in half (see note!)
- 3 slices ginger, chopped
- 3-5 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup diced carrots
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 cups uncooked rice
- Water (use the amount appropriate to the type of rice you’re using and your rice cooker’s instructions)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup peas (fresh or frozen)
- Toss the ribs with the marinade ingredients and set aside for 1 hour.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until caramelized. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok (over high heat this time), and brown the marinated ribs. Once browned, turn the heat down to medium, and add the ginger, garlic, and sugar. Stir-fry for a minute, and then add the carrots, light soy sauce, and ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the liquid has almost all evaporated.
- While the ribs are simmering, add the rice to the rice cooker and add the proper amount of water (according to your rice cooker instructions/type of rice you’re using). This is when you can strain and add some of the liquid the mushrooms were soaking in, if desired. Alternatively, you could also use chicken, pork, or vegetable stock.
- Stir in the shiitake mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt. Shake the pot around a little so the rice and liquid is in an even layer. Spread the rib mixture over the rice. Place it into the rice cooker and press the button to start it. Your dinner is now underway.
- Most rice cookers these days will tell you how many minutes are left in the cooking process. When there are 5 minutes of cooking time left, open the rice cooker lid, quickly sprinkle the peas on top, immediately cover the lid and let it finish cooking. When it’s done, serve!
Kerry says
Made this with pork belly. Was delicious! Thanks for the recipe :)
Judy says
Love it! Thank you so much for your comment, Kerry!
Andrea says
I made this for my family last week. Aside from it being a little salty for the kids (will omit the salt in the rice step next time), it was so delicious I am making a modified, mop up veg in the fridge version tonight.
(My husband, who thinks pork ribs are too much work, gobbled it up.)
Judy says
Love it, Andrea! So, so happy!
mommaquig says
Could you do this in a pressure cooker instead of a rice cooker?
Judy says
I know some people use pressure cooker to cook rice, so I will say yes to your question.
Jess says
Hey there. Did you make this in a pressure cooker? Would love to know how to make this in my instant pot!
Judy says
Hi Jess, does your instant pot have a setting for making rice? That setting should work.
JM says
How long do you brown the meat for?
Judy says
Hi JM, it’s hard to say. it depends the heat level and your type of cooking vessel. I made it in my wok using medium heat, and it took about 5 to 7 minutes.
Lu says
I made over the weekend and it was a HUGE hit! My boys loved it and when I said boys I included my ” I don’t like rice!” husband. lol I sliced the rib rack into individual pieces but didn’t have the means to chop them into smaller bite sized pieces. Ok, I will admit I was afraid that would 1. Scared my kids and husband. 2. Leave a dent on my knife, lol I followed the recipe except increased the rib cooking time to 15 minutes and only put half of the ribs into the rice cooker. I made the rest of the ribs into Shanghai sweet and sour rib, which was also a family favorite. ^_^
Judy says
How lovely, Lu! Awesome meals! Thank you for being our fan.^O^
Tony says
Well, if you can cook rice in a pot, wouldn’t it be possible to cook all of this in a pot as well? If so, any idea on how to adjust the heat as the rice cooks and how much time it should take?
thanks.
Judy says
Hi Tony, cooking rice in a pot is actually sometimes faster than using a rice cooker. You can use a pot for this recipe. You just have to precook the ribs (in the wok) for a bit more time, like 10 – 15 minutes.
Nyna says
For anyone without a rice cooker and using unrinsed long grain rice (Jasmine or Basmati):
Use frozen peas and take them out of the freezer when you start so that they will start heading toward room temperature. I am not familiar with fresh peas so, if you’re using them, you might want to lightly cook them first.
Over medium heat, saute the rice in a tablespoon or two of melted butter until somewhere around half of the rice becomes opaque. Add 3 3/4 cup BOILING water (or broth or mushroom water) and then quickly add your other ingredients except the ribs. (When you add the boiling water, it is going to spit and steam at you so be careful.) Quickly stir to evenly distribute the ingredients, add the ribs, and cover tightly. Turn the heat down to a slow simmer. It should be done in 20 minutes. If the rice is still wet, cover and continue cooking another 5 or 10 minutes.
When the rice is has absorbed all the water, add the peas and serve. Frozen peas really don’t need to be cooked and stirring them into the hot rice will heat them up.
Sarah says
Thank you for sharing your method, Nyna :)
okiegirl says
Made this yesterday and it was soooo good. The ribs are incredibly tender. (I did add a touch of oyster sauce to the rib marinade.) I’m sure it will reheat well in microwave for my lunch when I go back to work tomorrow.
The 1 hour prep time listed must include the time for the ribs to marinate and the mushrooms to soak. Hands-on prep time wasn’t anywhere close to that amount of time, so it’s actually a very fast recipe insofar as time you actually need to attend to it.
As always, thank you for another “winner” recipe.
Judy says
Thank you, Judy! So glad that you liked it. \^O^/
Maria Bibandor says
Did you cook the ribs in the rice cooker for a bit. In one of the pictures it looks like the ribs are in the rice cooker also. Do you put the ribs in before you start cooking the rice?
Judy says
Hi Maria, yes, the ribs are put in before you start to cook the rice: prepare to cook the rice in your rice cooker like you would normally do. Then cook the shiitake mushroom and brown the ribs, add both on top of the uncooked rice, then close the lid and press START. Once the rice is cooked, the ribs will also be cooked through. Hope this helps!
Cris says
Hi. What are your thoughts on adding a bit of sesame oil to the recipe, and at what stage would it be added?
Bill says
Hi Cris, if you like sesame oil and it sounds like you do, you can add some when adding the ribs to the rice!