Hey Folks!
I thought this might be fun (or, not). Back in the 80s when I attended college, I lived in a dorm room. I had worked in restaurants and really missed cooking at home. So, the geek in me took it on as a challenge to make whatever I could in my dorm room. The results were inspiring (if, not sometimes horrifying). I learned you could make grilled cheese sandwiches with aluminum foil and an iron and chili in a hot pot. So, here I am...30 years later in Kunming. I have a lovely apartment with a pretty nice kitchen, but its got its limits compared to what I have at home. I have two small gas burners, a small fridge, very little counter space, very little cupboard space, and worst of all...NO OVEN. (Sometimes, I feel like I'm a castaway on Gilligan's Island, trying to build a geiger counter with a coconut.)
Anyhow, I've made some interesting recipes with equipment and methods that are far different than I would have had in my lovely gourmet kitchen back home. I'm hoping this thread might provide an outlet for other frustrated/inspired chefs out there. For my first story:
Rice Cooker Banana Bread Pudding
I love banana bread. Around this time of year, I'd be making it at least a couple times a month. But, having no oven really makes it a non-starter here. So, I devised a similar taste in the form of bread pudding, that I could pull off in a rice cooker. (Note: These proportions are approximate. This dessert is still in beta version.)
- Dice up about 3 cups of bread. It can be any kind of wheat bread. Stale bread works fine. You can also use old buns, rolls, etc.
- Combine 3 eggs, about 1-1/2 cups of milk, 2-3 mashed up bananas, about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 a teaspoon of salt, 3/4 cup of white or brown sugar, and about 2 tablespoons of chopped raisins. (Optional: Add about 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts.) Mix thoroughly.
- Pour the bread cubes into the bowl of the rice cooker. Pour the egg-milk mixture over it and gently mix it, so the cubes soak up most of the liquid. (If you still have lots of liquid, you can add a bit more bread.)
- Close the rice cooker and press the button. Depending on your rice cooker, it may shut off after a short time. You just need to wait a few minutes and press it again. (My cooker luckily has a warmer that kicks in after the rice cooker turns off.) I find that it takes about 3 cycles. The nice thing about a rice cooker is that it is designed to not burn the rice. The end result is that the pudding be solid and that an inserted chopstick come out relatively clean.
At this point, you can eat it hot from the cooker, but this recipe has great second life. If you let it cool and refrigerate the leftovers, it will form into a hard loaf. Create 3/4" slices and fry it in a skillet with some butter. Give it a good crisp browning on each side. Sprinkle with a little sugar. It's a truly awesome winter dessert!
Enjoy!