Last Monday I made Chicken Jook with Lots of Vegetables from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook.  It was the first recipe from this book that was incredibly disappointing: "Boiled Water"-style disappointing.

I made it because Mark Bittman says that it "cooks perfectly in a slow cooker", so maybe that was the problem.  Or maybe the problem was the substitutions I made.  But there was an off-flavor somewhere in it that made it really difficult to eat.  I suspect the can of stir-fry vegetables.

Chicken Jook with Lots of Vegetables

3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 bone-in chicken thighs
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 fresh chile, minced (I used a quarter-teaspoon of crushed red pepper)
 1/2 cup chopped scallions [I used some leftover: maybe that was the problem: too old]
1 cup short-grain brown rice
2 cups cabbage sliced into very thin ribbons [I used some leftover Napa cabbage]
1 cup snow peas [I couldn't find any fresh or frozen, so I used frozen sugar snap peas]
1 cup bean sprouts [I couldn't find any of these, either, so I used a can of stir-fry vegetables, which included bean sprouts, baby corn, bamboo shoots, and red bell peppers: I suspect this was the culprit, because the off-flavor was not unlike cooked green peppers]
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil

Combine all ingredients plus 6 cups water in slow cooker.  Cook on low all day.


And for those of you who are curious, here's the infamous "Boiled Water" recipe, from How to Cook Everything.  He says it's an essential recipe; I say it's no better than it sounds (garlic-flavored water).

"Boiled Water"

 6 to 10 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 thick slices French or Italian bread
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1.  Combine 4 cups water with the garlic, bay leaf, and some salt and pepper in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover partially, and turn the heat to very low.  Let the liquid bubble gently for 15 minutes.
2.  Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When hot, brown the slices of bread in the oil, turning once, for a total of about 5 minutes.
3.  Put the bread in bowls and top with the grated cheese.  Strain the soup into the bowls, garnish parsley, and serve.