SOUS VIDE RICE BOWL | EPICURIOUS

Sous Vide Rice Bowl | Epicurious image

We did it! We wanted to make dinner for one where the cleanup is just washing out a few bags and that's it. And we were determined to make rice a part of that...but rice was determined to not be a part of it. We cooked so many tiny bags of rice trying to make this work, but the par-boiled nature of Uncle Ben's, which allows it to cook faster in a sealed environment without getting starchy or gummy, made it the clear winner.

Provided by Tyler Kord

Time 1h

Yield 1 serving

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

1/3 cup Uncle Ben's Rice, Original or Whole Grain
2 tsp. unsalted butter, divided
3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
1 large carrot, peeled, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 1/4 tsp. toasted sesame oil, divided
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
1/4 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. tamari or soy sauce
Fearless Sous Vide Poached Egg, sliced scallions, fried shallots, crushed peanuts, and hot sauce (for serving; optional)
A sous vide machine; three 1-qt-size vacuum-sealable or resealable plastic freezer bags

Steps:

Clip (or stand) sous vide machine to a tall large pot. Fill pot with warm water.
Place rice, 1 tsp. butter, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. water in a vacuum-sealable or freezer bag and gently shake to combine.
Place carrot, lime juice, maple syrup, cumin, 1 tsp. butter, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. oil in another bag and gently shake to combine.
Place mushrooms, cornstarch, tamari, remaining 1 tsp. oil, and a pinch of salt in third bag and gently shake to combine.
Vacuum seal or partially close freezer bags, getting as much air out as possible to keep bags from floating, and place in water bath. If using freezer bags, push down into water until only the open edge of bag is exposed (this will push more air out of the bag) and fully close, using a wooden spoon or tongs to hold the vegetables below the water while sealing, as they're buoyant and want to float. Turn on machine and heat water to 190°F.
Cook, turning mushrooms and carrots occasionally, which have a tendency to float, 35 minutes. If after 5-10 minutes, it looks like there's air in the freezer bags, open a corner and push the bags under water, sealing again when the air is displaced. You could also try to weigh them down, but the water is hot so it's kind of a pain.
Remove bags from water and unseal. Transfer rice to a medium bowl and top with mushrooms. Pull carrots out of their liquid and reserve liquid in bag as a totally righteous sauce to pour over the finished dish.
Top rice bowl with poached egg, scallions, shallots, peanuts, hot sauce if you're into it, and don't forget that you still have that reserved carrot sauce!