Simple Recipe of the Day: Mixed Rice

Being Indonesian, I don't think I can survive, ever, without rice. I love rice mixed with other condiments. Since a Japanese friend, Y-san, shared that she liked to mix rice with peas, and sometimes with azuki beans, it opened my imagination. What a boring life I had! Sure, I had my share of risotto, nasi kuning (yellow rice), nasi uduk or even nasi liwet, but I never thought of combining rice with other things.

My belated mom once or twice mixed corn with rice. I decided to add some frozen corn to the uncooked rice before putting them in the rice cooker. They tasted so lovely. Then I ventured by adding frozen peas. Yum. Frozen vegetables. Still yum-yum. I tried rice with kidney beans (after being immersed in water for a night, naturally). Nice. Mushroom? What a delight!

I had some kabocha and thought, hey, why not? And I had some ginkgo nuts, too. I thought they'd give a unique texture to steamed rice.

I prefer soft-textured rice, so if you prefer firmer rice, adjust the water according to your taste.

The following day, I decided to use ginkgo nuts. Ginkgo nuts might be poisonous, especially to children, if they eat too many. That's why I only used 80 grams (a small package), and I used ginkgo nuts which have been peeled and cooked. I also immersed the nuts in hot water with a dash of salt before putting them in rice and water. Ginkgo nuts taste slightly bitter. I think it's an acquired taste. My son does not like it, yet he still eats it. My daughter thinks it tastes bland.

In this picture, I added a bit furikake on top of the rice. I am very fond of ginkgo nuts, so I love ginkgo rice. They are chewy and addictive. For 1 cup of rice and 80 grams of ginkgo nuts, I used 2 cups of water.

Tomorrow, I'll try making some mixed rice again. With sweet potato, perhaps? Or corn again? We shall see!