Although I'm Chinese, I have to admit that my favourite way of preparing rice is the Italian way. It's deliciously creamy, full of flavour, and has endless possibilities. Although it also takes about 40 times more effort than pressing the button on the Tiger Rice Cooker, I think it's (sometimes) well worth the effort.
As suggested by Jamie Oliver in his book
Cook with Jamie, I try to plan ahead and make a batch of basic risotto, remove from pan when it's 3/4 of the way cooked, spread it out on a sheet pan to chill and seal it in an airtight container for storage in the fridge. I take it out just before dinner when I want to spend 10 minutes (not 40) standing in front of the stove finishing the dish.
I inherited some fresh tomatoes from a garden that was going to be unattended for a week; add it to my increasing pile of cherry tomatoes (some of the yellow ones made it!) from my
balcony garden, and a delicious tomato and thyme risotto was born.
