Indian Rice in the Wonder Box at Midtown Market

In just another two weeks, I'll be able to prepare some solar meals. The sun has to rise over the buildings just a bit more to the left to get the full benefit in the short time available at my booth. I've been wanting to make some Indian Rice in the solar oven and decided I could go ahead with my recipe and use the Wonder Box Cooker. This gave me another chance to test it for timing and how long it would really stay hot. It was a busy day and, by the time I removed the cover at home, it was almost two o'clock and the rice was gorgeous, fully-cooked, and hot for serving! And, I was able to use my SolarWear(R) for easy removal! 

This recipe is enough for four people. After bringing everything to a boil and letting it roll for approximately two minutes, everything was transferred to a 3-quart covered pre-heated baking dish.  The Wonder Box Cooker works on retentive heat so you want to be sure everything is hot before placing your pot inside the cooker. You'll need to have the pot full, as opposed to three-quarters full for solar cooking, and use about ten minutes of energy before transferring hot foods into the cooking vessel.

Solar Indian Rice from the Wonder Box Cooker

1.5 cups of rice (I used half sushi and have arborio rices)

3 T oil

1 large onion, cut longways and then very thinly sliced crosswise

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 medium chili pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped pecans/almonds/pistachios

1/4 cup dark raisins

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground pepper

3 cups hot chicken broth

If using solar oven, preheat to 225F; otherwise, have Wonder Box Cooker nearby and ready for transfer.

1. Preheat deep skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and when it begins to shimmer, add onion, garlic, and, chili pepper. Saute until onions are translucent.

2. Add rice to skillet mixture, stir thoroughly and cook until rice becomes opaque.

3. Mix nuts and raisins with all dry ingredients in a small bowl; add to skillet mixture, stirring to blend, cook for two minutes.

4. Add chicken broth and bring to boil; allow to boil for approximately three minutes. Transfer to casserole dish and cover, immediately; place in solar oven and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or leave in Wonder Box Cooker for at least 2.5 hours.   

Remove cover; fluff and serve.