Your slow cooker makes really good steamed rice, as it works in much the same way as a rice cooker. Just make sure you give the rice a thorough rinse beforehand. Once the rice is cooked you can top it with light ingredients - nothing too heavy or the rice will turn into a stodgy mess. Try this tomato-based sauce with prawns (or fillets of white fish, if you prefer). I tend to avoid adding frozen seafood directly to the slow cooker as it releases too much water.
If you are using frozen prawns, make sure they are completely thawed and pat them dry with paper towel.
SERVES FOUR
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 2½ hours
GLUTEN-FREE
- 400g can whole tomatoes
- 2 tbsp chipotle sauce
- 1 white onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- Handful of roughly chopped coriander
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 300g long-grain rice
- 12 large raw prawns, peeled and de-veined but with tails intact
- Handful of baby spinach leaves
- Handful of coriander leaves, to serve
- Lime wedges, to serve
1. Heat your slow cooker to high. Put the tomatoes, chipotle sauce, onion, garlic, coriander and lime juice into a food processor and mix until you have a smooth sauce. Tip into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Rinse the rice in a sieve under the cold tap until the water runs clear. Drain well, then tip into the bowl of the slow cooker.
3. Add 500ml water, cover and cook for 1½ hours, until almost all the liquid has been absorbed.
4. Stir the prawns into the bowl of tomato sauce, then gently pour over the rice in the slow cooker, spreading the prawns out so they don’t overlap. Cover and cook for one hour, until they are pink and cooked through.
5. Serve in bowls with baby spinach and coriander leaves on the side, and lime wedges for squeezing.
The Healthy Slow Cooker: Easy Energy-Saving Recipes for Every Night of the Week by Ross Dobson, with photographs by Jeremy Simons, is published by Murdoch Books, price £18.99.Rather leave the cooking to the experts? We can find you the perfect candidate; from Housekeepers to Gardeners, Nannies to Carers, we source only the most exceptional candidates for your home.
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