Turmeric and Shiitake Rice

I was lucky enough to stumble upon black rice at a smallish shop a friend took me to, so I've been cooking with it quite a bit. I added a few spices and some shiitake to this batch. Simple recipe that came out good, so hopefully you will get ideas for more creative flavor combinations as well. Sometimes simple is also quite delicious.



Makes 2 servings, so multiply quantities if using more rice

Ingredients:

Short grain (or other variety) white rice, 1/2 cup dry
Black rice, 1/4 cup dry
Dried shiitake, 4 to 5
Turmeric, 2 teaspoons
Cumin, 3 teaspoons
Butter, salted, 1/2 tablespoon

Wash the white and black rice and drain the water. Place the rice in the rice cooker pot, add the amount of water you will use for cooking, and add the dried shiitake. Let the rice and shiitake soak for at least one hour.

After at least one hour, remove the shiitake stems if any and slice them up. Place back in the pot. Add the spices and mix well. Add the butter (no need to mix), close the rice cooker, and push the magic cook button.

When the rice cooker beeps and the rice is done, mix the rice well in the cooker to spead the now melted butter. Serve!