Warm Winter Stew

Niku Jaga (Japanese Beef Stew in the Crock Pot)

(from food.com)

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef stew meat

1 cup water

½ cup Japanese sake (dry white wine)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tsp. salt

½ lb. baby carrots

3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 white onion, diced

Directions:

Put all into crock pot and cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 4-6 hours. Stir before serving. It is suggested that the stew be served with sticky rice (see below) and that the recipe is supposed to be runny.

Sticky Rice

Getting the right type of rice is a must if you want proper sticky rice. Look for bags labeled "long-grain sticky rice," "sweet rice" or "glutinous rice." If it isn't available in the rice aisle of your neighborhood market, check the ethnic foods section. Still no luck? Head to a nearby Asian or international grocer.

ON THE STOVE

For this method all you’ll need is a large pot.

Measure two cups of rice and three and a half cups of water into the pot. Let the rice soak for at least half an hour or as long as four hours.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir.

Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to medium low and cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly off on one side to vent. Cook for 10 minutes - but DO NOT stir the rice while cooking!

After 10 minutes, check to see if the rice has absorbed all of the water by pulling the rice away from the center with a fork to create a hole. If there is still water, continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove the pot from the heat and place the lid on securely. Allow the rice to stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

STEAMED

The old school way to make sticky rice is to steam it. Put three cups of rice in a very large pot. Cover it with two or three inches of tepid water and let it soak for at least six or up to 24 hours—the longer, the better.

Drain the soaked rice and pour it into a steamer basket. Boil two or three inches of water in a wok or large pot and set the steamer over it. Make sure the rice doesn't dip down into the water. Cover and steam for 20 minutes. Stir the rice so that the top layer is at the bottom of the steamer and vice versa. Steam another five minutes and it's good to go.

RICE COOKER

The easiest way to cook sticky rice is with a rice cooker.

Measure two cups of rice and two and a half cups of water into the rice cooker. Allow the rice to stand and soak for 30 minutes to four hours; again, the longer you wait, the more awesome your rice will taste.

Toss in 1/2 teaspoon of salt and turn on the rice cooker. If your rice cooker has an automatic timer, let it go until it shuts off. Otherwise, cook the rice for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow it to stand for at least five minutes and enjoy. 

Sticky rice gets even stickier over time, so you can make it a day or two before you need it and keep it in the fridge in an airtight container. Add the cooked rice as a side to your favorite dish, try it in desserts or just pick up your chop sticks and dig in.