Hawaii's Rice Cooker Cookbook

Book excerpt: Hawaii's Rice Cooker Cookbook shares a mother and daughter's perspective of an island family table through the lens of an everyday household appliance"€"the automatic rice cooker. Introduced in the 1950s, the electric rice cooker has become the workhorse of Island kitchens. Surprisingly multi-purpose, you will be as amazed with the versatility of this seemingly one-note cooker. Over 120 recipes showcase family favorites with some surprise dishes drawn from different places and times in our lives. Here are fast and simple recipes for time-constrained weekday meal preparation as well as for times when culinary experimenting is possible. Recipes include favorites such as Chicken Hekka, Vegetable Curry, homemade Mochi (Japanese rice cakes), Chili Pepper Water (the ultimate l'au table condiment), and even a Calamansi Cake. Just for fun, there are tips on regrowing green onion and lemongrass leftovers, cultivating your own supply of sweet potato leaves, and concocting homemade vanilla extract. Hawaii's Rice Cooker Cookbook will make us see the automatic rice cooker with new eyes and expand our range of cooking options.