Side Dishes For Fried Chicken

Jook Chinese Rice Porridge Pressure Cooker

Jook Chinese Rice Porridge Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

SERVES 4 as a light main dish or 6 as a snack or side dish – Cooker: 5- to 7-quart – Time: 15 minutes at HIGH pressure

• 1 cup short-, medium-, or long-grain white rice, or combination of the three
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger
• salt and white or black pepper.

TO SERVE, ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING

• ½ cup thin matchsticks of ham or leftover cooked chicken
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (white and tender green parts) or chopped fresh cilantro
• a few drops of sesame oil per serving.

Method

1. In a 5- to 7-quart pressure cooker, combine the rice, broth, and water
2. Add the ginger
3. Close and lock the lid
4. Place a heat diffuser on the burner and the pressure cooker on the diffuser
5. Set the burner heat to high
6. When the cooker reaches HIGH pressure, reduce the burner heat as low as you can and still maintain HIGH pressure
7. Set a timer to cook for 15 minutes
8. Remove the pot from the heat
9. Open the cooker with the Natural Release method; let stand for 20 minutes
10. At time, if the pressure is not all released, open the valve
11. Be careful of the steam as you remove the lid
12. Stir the porridge briskly; most of the rice should have broken down and the porridge should be the consistency of a thick soup or oatmeal
13. If it’s not quite done, simmer it for a few minutes, uncovered
14. Using tongs or a pair of chopsticks, remove the ginger slices
15. Season the porridge with salt and pepper to taste
16. Stir in the ham or chicken if using and frozen peas (which will thaw very quickly in the hot porridge)
17. Serve in bowls, topped with a sprinkle of scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil
18. Creamy Jook: Add 1 cup plain soy milk in Step 4 and simmer a few minutes to heat, for an ultra-creamy consistency