Sounds like my partner!!
Oh man, thisāll be good!
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I learned to do that working in Singapore and Japan living in tiny units. Made cooking easier with just a rice cooker.
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Did the locals teach you??
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In Japan. The locals had all sorts of cooking short cuts.
Just curious @Lauren, how does a barramundi dish go defrosting? I know that there are some dishes that donāt do well defrosting.
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I find if its just a grilled piece of fish it goes mushy. Broken up into the rice itās not as noticeable and the salt from the soy sauce dries it a bit
That rice cooker meal sounds like such a time saver, Lauren! I usually just use mine for plain rice, but I never thought to cook an entire meal in it. Iāll have to try something similar with chicken. How do you make sure the veggies donāt get too mushy?
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I usually stick to peas (I know people use corn too but I canāt eat corn) and carrots to start with. It is just an easy lazy base. Then if I want softer veggies like spinach, celery, capsicum etc, I add them about midway through cooking so they donāt disintegrate.
How does this differ from a slow cooker?
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Slow cooker doesnt do rice that well and takes 3-9 hours depending on what you are cooking. They usually have a larger capacity and are good for soups, stocks, making soft meats and making stews.
The rice cooker takes roughly 20-40 minutes depending on the rice type and amount. Generally you are just making rice dishes in the rice cooker.
Thatās a great idea for a quick, healthy dinner. I usually end up using a bunch of pots and pans, so this one-pot rice cooker method could really save me some clean-up time.
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Iām all about meals on the go that donāt require a whole lot of surrounding fuss. I like this one because it can be versatile too. You can choose brown or white rice (or red or black if you like those), you can use different kinds of mince, meats, vegetables, tofu, beans or legumes. You can also switch up the sauces.
Todays effort is chocolate cookies with crushed macadamia.
You will need mixing bowl, mixing spoon, sieve, baking paper and baking trays.
Preheat oven 180 degrees.
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 3 eggs, 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract mixed together well.
Sift a tablespoon of baking powder, 2 cups plain flour and 1/2 cup cocoa powder into the bowl, add nuts. Mix until doughy. If it comes up too dry add a little more oil (egg sizes can make a difference), if its too wet a little more flour.
Put baking paper flat on trays.
Roll dough into ping pong balls. Put them on the tray and smoosh them down so they are 1cm thick. Make sure they have a little space around them.
Put them in the oven for 15 minutes.
Bam, cookies.
If you like things less sweet only put in a cup of brown sugar.
That fruit salad sounds absolutely delicious and refreshing for warm weather! I might need to make one this weekend. Do you add any dressing to it, or do you just let the fruit speak for itself?
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No dressing on this one but if guests are over I usually drizzle a mix of honey, lime and lime zest over it.
Lauren, youāre giving husbands everywhere a way to survive when the chef of the house isnāt around. What a great initiative 
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The unintended benefits of creative low stress cooking
This sounds so good! Iām giving this exact dish a go.
Do you have any other quick, unconventional cooking hacks from your time in Japan and Singapore Lauren? I love Asian food. Lots of fish, rice and plant based foods.
Barra is the best.
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There are a few, like microwave up deserts I liked, some spam dishes that I wasnāt fond of, some mini pressure cooker recipes and things. I will get more up here as I cook them.
Well now I think I have to try and make a variation of this.
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