Risotto is an italian rice dish that is cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. To put it simply for the unaware indian, its the italian version of pulao. Traditionally, Arborio (an Italian short grain rice) is used to make risotto. It is extremely starchy and hence makes a creamy risotto. That said, I'm not gonna spend 500 bucks on a 250gm pack of Arborio. You can use other rice varieties, though long grained rice doesn't have as thick a starch coating as short or medium grained rice. Brown rice would also work but you'll need to cook it quite a bit longer, which means more stock.
For those of you who would raise an eyebrow for this recipe, mind you that risotto is more of a technique than a dish. Making it involves the slow addition of liquid and frequent stirring to coax the starch out of the rice. The basic steps of a risotto are making the soffrito, toasting the rice, and ladling in the broth. Once you get that right, the possibilities of flavours and texture combinations are endless. You can even play around with grains other than rice, like barley, oats or quinoa.
1 cup rice
6 cups of vegetable stock
1/4 cup white wine
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil (or butter for a non-vegan version)
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp pesto
1 cup assorted veggies (I used mushrooms and broccoli)
Salt & pepper to taste
Lime to garnish
Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, until the onion turns translucent. Add the rice and stir the rice is evenly coated in oil. Once you can smell toasted rice, add the wine. Simmer till the wine is reduced and the pan is almost dry.
I made vegetable stock from scratch. If you are using a cube or powder, ensure you stir it in warm/hot water and dissolve. Add the stock one ladle at a time. Wait till the rice absorbs all the liquid before ladling another spoon of stock, and keep repeating the process. This step is essential in making a risotto, so dont rush this step. You want to use just enough broth to cook the rice and no more. About halfway through add in the coconut milk and pesto and stir.
Add in the veggies depending on how you like it. If you like it soft, add it when you are initially ladling the broth. If you like a bit of texture, add it one the rice is almost done. The risotto is ready once the rice is al dente and has the consistency of thick porridge. Season with salt, pepper and lime.
Serve immediately. The longer you let it stand, the more starches will set and you will end up losing its creaminess.
For a non vegan version, add a dollop of butter and a generous sprinkling of cheese
