Ancient Rice Cooking Method – A Kamado Rice Recipe

This kamado rice recipe lets you cook your rice outside! You can cook it right after you finish another medium-to-low temperature cook on your grill, including smoked salmon or crab. Another reason to try it is if you want to save money on your air-conditioner bill during the hot summer. It’s really good as a side dish.

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups rice
• 2-4 cups water – Take however many cups of rice you use and double it to get the cups of water needed.
• 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable base/paste (has lots of salt, no additional salt needed). I used the Better than Bouillon brand of vegetable base. Chicken or beef base will work just as well.
• 3 tablespoons Dash
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon basil

Utensils

• High heat, broiler-safe dish, like this cast-iron casserole dish (a ceramic casserole dish will work too, just don’t put it on anything wet coming off of the grill!)
• Saffire Heat Deflector

Instructions

1. Light your Saffire with the bottom vent fully open and the top vent swung fully open.
2. Once the fire is going strong, put your heat deflector into your Saffire and put the cooking grids on. (Clean the grids if you feel the need.)
3. Rinse your rice in a strainer under running water for a few seconds, or until it stops bubbling.
4. Add the rice to your casserole dish, and add the prescribed amount of water.
5. Stir in your vegetable base with a spoon until it mixes with the water. No clumps of base should remain.
6. Add your seasonings. I used garlic, thyme, and basil.
7. Once your Saffire reaches an internal temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit, put your rice on the cooking grids and close the grill.
8. Cook at 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 25 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.
9. Remove and let cool for approximately 5-10 minutes.
10. Enjoy your kamado rice while it’s hot!

Okay, so this isn’t really an ancient recipe, but the precursors to the modern kamado have been used to cook rice for millennia. “Kamado” is Japanese for oven, and the mushikamado (“moveable oven”) was specifically designed as a rice steamer, according to Wikipedia. In fact, whether you call them kamados or not, ovens were originally made from earthen material, and were used to cook all kinds of food, including rice. So enjoy this very modern twist on an ancient cooking method!

Alternative Kamado Rice Recipes to Try

Kamado Cooked Spanish Rice

Spanish rice includes tomatoes, onions, and usually a bit of cumin and hot pepper. Try this variation for a spicy and delicious alternative.

Kamado Spanish Rice Ingredients

• 1-2 cups rice
• 2-4 cups water – Take however many cups of rice you use and double it to get the cups of water needed.
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 4 large red tomatoes, diced
• 3-6 jalapenos, pureed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Kamado Spanish Rice Instructions

This recipe is the same as the main rice recipe provided above. Once everything is chopped, throw it into your dish with your rice. If you don’t like your onion crunchy, be sure to saute them in a pan in your Saffire grill before adding them to your casserole dish.

Kamado Cooked Trinity Rice

Trinity rice uses three main ingredients: bell peppers, celery and onions. Try this variation for an aromatic rice alternative.

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups rice
• 2-4 cups water – Take however many cups of rice you use and double it to get the cups of water needed.
• 1 bunch of scallions, diced
• 1 whole red bell pepper, diced
• 1 whole yellow bell pepper, diced
• 3 stalks of celery, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Kamado Trinity Rice Instructions

Once everything is chopped, saute the bell peppers and celery in a pan in your kamado before adding them to your casserole dish.