Become a Better Cook! This Just Maika Cooking: Cook’s Notebook section will focus on everything related to cooking rice connected to all my recipe posts, updated frequently.
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Multigrain Rice
Multigrain rice is popular in Korea and Japan, and this incredibly nutritious purple rice can have a mixture of about 7 of the following ingredients: brown rice, black rice, sweet brown rice, red rice, bamboo rice, millet, buckwheat groats, quinoa, black beans, red adzuki beans, red kidney beans, hulled barley, purple or black barley, and that list goes on too.
If you can, get some multigrain rice if you haven't heard of or tried it yet. It's so delicious and comforting to eat.

This Asvel Rice Container Bin with Pour Spout is convenient; it holds the rice and has a measuring cup for easy prepping.
Fill one cup of multigrain rice with ¾ cup of sushi rice.
Then, fill with ¼ cup of multigrain mix, making the ratio ¾ sushi rice to ¼ multigrain mix.
Rinse the rice with cold water to remove the starch and any debris.
Strain the dirty water and fill it with clean water.
A trick is to fill the water to your first knuckle line for 1 cup of rice.
Season with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for 1 cup of rice.
When cooked, the rice will have a purple tint.
Recipe
Japanese and Korean Style Multigrain Rice
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Easy Measuring
- When measuring 1 cup of rice, I usually like to use the cup that comes with my storage rice container.
- I filled the cup ¾ with the sushi rice and ¼ cup of the 7-grain rice mixture.
Cook Rice First!
- Whatever meal you make, I always suggest starting the rice first before prepping ingredients for the protein or the sides that will be eaten with the rice.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
256.69Fat
0.38Sat. Fat
0.07Carbs
56.66Fiber
1.94Net carbs
54.73Sugar
0Protein
4.72Sodium
586.23Cholesterol
0These are calculations based on search results of the ingredient's nutritional information.
Multigrain Rice Starter Kit
Spiced Brown Rice and Quinoa
Spicing up Life! This dish is super simple; just set it and then forget it. And not only is it straight to the point like this blog post, but it’s also super delicious. It is an excellent addition to rice bowls or to switch to a bland side dish.
The rice is aromatic with a combination of flavors you wouldn’t think would taste so well with each other, from the cinnamon to the cumin, if you didn’t have it before. It’s a must-try! Stove Top or Rice Cooker? The power is all in your hands. I have included instructions for both. If you have questions about a different method, ask away, and I can help.
Recipes
Rice Cooker Spiced Brown Rice and Quinoa
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Fluffing Rice Method
- Fluffing the rice with a fork or a paddle allows the extra moisture to evaporate, leaving you a bowl of lighter, fluffier rice.
- The method involves scooping and mixing the cooked rice within the container to allow steam to escape.
Zest
- Zesting is peeling only the skin of the citrus fruit without the white flesh, referred to as pith. The skin contains aromatic oils and is an excellent addition to recipes to intensify the flavors of a dish. A fine grater is the most convenient way to obtain the zest of the citrus fruit, usually referred to as zester or a Microplane.
Quicker Zesting
- You can zest the lemon right over the cooked rice instead of zesting it in a separate container to prevent it from sticking. Read notes before for more detail.
Alternative to Brown Basmati Rice
- You can use medium-grain brown rice or jasmine brown rice.
- Medium-grain brown rice refers to regular white medium-grain rice with the brain layer covering the white grain.
- Jasmine brown rice has a slight floral aroma.
- It is usually used in South East Asian and Caribbean cuisines.
Quinoa Variations
- Quinoa can vary in color, and any will do for this recipe
- You can use only red quinoa
- Or a mixed quinoa
Alternative to Cinnamon Powder
- You can use 1 cinnamon stick
Alternative to Lemon Zest
- Try ¼ teaspoon dried lemon peel
Alternative to Fresh Chopped Parsley
- Try 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Storage: Refrigerator
- To store in the refrigerator, place in a 2-inch shallow pan to cool down quickly.
- Then store in an air-tight sealing container.
- The rice will last for up to four days.
Storage: Freezer
- First, follow the refrigeration process mentioned above.
- Then you can place it in the freezer in a labeled, airtight container.
Reheat
- Thaw it out entirely in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth.
- Stovetop: I suggest heating it slowly in a saucepan on low heat covered with an ice cube, occasionally stirring to prevent scratching on the bottom of the pan.
- Microwave: Heat one to two cups in a bowl for two minutes with one ice cube and a microwave cover, stirring the dish content every minute until it is hot.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
217.99Fat
2.11Sat. Fat
0.36Carbs
44.42Fiber
3.05Net carbs
41.35Sugar
0.13Protein
5.35Sodium
595.42Cholesterol
0These are calculations based on search results of the ingredient's nutritional information.
Stove Top Spiced Brown Rice and Quinoa
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Fluffing Rice Method
- Fluffing the rice with a fork or a paddle allows the extra moisture to evaporate, leaving you a bowl of lighter, fluffier rice.
- The method involves scooping and mixing the cooked rice within the container to allow steam to escape.
Zest
- Zesting is peeling only the skin of the citrus fruit without the white flesh, referred to as pith. The skin contains aromatic oils and is an excellent addition to recipes to intensify the flavors of a dish. A fine grater is the most convenient way to obtain the zest of the citrus fruit, usually referred to as zester or a Microplane.
Quicker Zesting
- You can zest the lemon right over the cooked rice instead of zesting it in a separate container to prevent it from sticking. Read notes before for more detail.
Alternative to Brown Basmati Rice
- You can use medium-grain brown rice or jasmine brown rice.
- Medium-grain brown rice refers to regular white medium-grain rice with the brain layer covering the white grain.
- Jasmine brown rice has a slight floral aroma.
- It is usually used in South East Asian and Caribbean cuisines.
Quinoa Variations
- Quinoa can vary in color, and any will do for this recipe
- You can use only red quinoa
- Or a mixed quinoa
Alternative to Cinnamon Powder
- You can use 1 cinnamon stick
Alternative to Lemon Zest
- Try ¼ teaspoon dried lemon peel
Alternative to Fresh Chopped Parsley
- Try 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Storage: Refrigerator
- To store in the refrigerator, place in a 2-inch shallow pan to cool down quickly.
- Then store in an air-tight sealing container.
- The rice will last for up to four days.
Storage: Freezer
- First, follow the refrigeration process mentioned above.
- Then you can place it in the freezer in a labeled, airtight container.
Reheat
- Thaw it out entirely in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth.
- Stovetop: I suggest heating it slowly in a saucepan on low heat covered with an ice cube, occasionally stirring to prevent scratching on the bottom of the pan.
- Microwave: Heat one to two cups in a bowl for two minutes with one ice cube and a microwave cover, stirring the dish content every minute until it is hot.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
217.99Fat
2.11Sat. Fat
0.36Carbs
44.41Fiber
3.05Net carbs
41.35Sugar
0.13Protein
5.35Sodium
595.41Cholesterol
0These are calculations based on search results of the ingredient's nutritional information.
White Rice
I usually don’t cook too much white rice, but for some recipes, it is preferred. For example, I love to eat Thai and Haitian dishes with jasmine rice, a long-grain rice, because the floral aroma of the rice is more suitable for these dishes.
Additionally, I prefer to eat short-grain sushi rice when making Korean or Japanese-inspired rice bowls. And I would use medium-grained white rice for Chinese-inspired dishes.
Below is a basic recipe for white rice using a rice cooker. I always prep the rice in the rice cooker and let it cook while I make the rest of my meal, and it is ready by the time I’m done cooking. It is my kitchen helper.
Rice Cooker White Rice
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Cook Rice First!
- Whatever meal you make, I always suggest starting the rice before prepping ingredients for the protein or the sides that will be eaten with the rice.
Yield Preference
- This recipe may yield two cups of rice.
- For rice bowls, I usually use 1 cup per person.
- I use the word "may" because all rice cooker brands vary.
- The serving size for rice is usually suggested to be ½ a cup per person. But this is a preference. In my opinion, half a cup is usually not enough for my family or me. We typically eat 1 cup of rice. And we really only eat rice once a day, so every family and individual vary in their preference. Just keep this in mind.
Easy Measuring
- When measuring 1 cup of rice, I usually like to use the cup that comes with my storage rice container.
Storage: Refrigerator
- To store in the refrigerator, place in a 2-inch shallow pan to cool down quickly.
- Then store in an air-tight sealing container.
- The rice will last for up to four days.
Storage: Freezer
- First, follow the refrigeration process mentioned above.
- Then you can place it in the freezer in a labeled, airtight container.
Reheat
- Thaw it out entirely in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth.
- Stovetop: I suggest heating it slowly in a saucepan on low heat covered with an ice cube, occasionally stirring to prevent scratching on the bottom of the pan.
- Microwave: Heat one to two cups in a bowl for two minutes with one ice cube and a microwave cover, stirring the dish content every minute until it is hot.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
337.63Fat
0.61Sat. Fat
0.17Carbs
73.95Fiber
1.2Net carbs
72.75Sugar
0.11Protein
6.59Sodium
594.87Cholesterol
0These are calculations based on search results of the ingredient's nutritional information.
Video: Cooking Rice in the Rice Cooker
Recommended Rice Cookers
I use the simple and affordable first one listed, the Aroma 2-Quart Rice Cooker. It’s compact and easy to place on my busy counter, and I strictly use it for rice. However, they also have the Aroma 2.5-Quart Rice Cooker, used for more than rice; both Aroma rice cookers come with a steam basket that you can use to steam vegetables.
Most Popular
One of the top rice cookers in the market right now is the Zojirushi Rice Cooker Brand, according to Good Housekeeping: 6 Best Rice Cookers of 2023. On Amazon, they have a 2.5-quart and a smaller 5.5-cup cooker.
Second Choice
The Instant Pot Brand has the Instant 20-Cup Rice Cooker, now listed as Amazon’s Choice with over 10k sold. However, there are so many to choose from, but always choose something that fits your lifestyle (budget, how often you cook, when you cook, kitchen and counter size, etc.).
Do you have any of these listed products? If so, comment below with your experience!
Recipes with Rice
- Sesame Chili Salmon Rice Bowl
- Chicken Stir-Fry with Mushrooms, Peppers, and Green Beans in Hoisin Sauce
- Curried Chickpeas and Mushrooms with Spiced Brown Basmati Rice
- Curried Ground Turkey, Vegetables & Olives
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