asian-inspired risotto

i recently experienced a bit of a culinary adventure when i volunteered to bar tend a private dinner party for a personal chef friend of mine.  among learning how to make a martini on the fly and tasting fresh black truffles for the first time, i got an invaluable little tip from someone who actually went to culinary school.  apparently, when making risotto it helps to fry the raw rice in the oil with your garlic and onion before you add water and boil it all down, it helps add a toasty flavor and hold the rice grains together.

i decided to toss in a bit of fresh ginger at this step and the dish adopted an asian-inspired variety of flavors from there on.  nori seaweed melts in to add an amazing depth of flavor, richness, and it’s own saltiness.  the “cream” is a thick blend of almond milk with cashews blended, no one will ever guess it’s vegan.  and like so many dishes in asian cuisine, it is then dressed with crisp, fresh veggies which are lovely in contrast to the savory richness of the risotto.

asian-inspired risotto
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
1/2 medium red onion
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c sweet brown rice
2 tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 c water
2 sheets nori wraps or a handful of shredded nori
1/2 c raw cashews
1 c almond milk

toppings
baby spinach
thinly sliced carrot
thinly sliced red or spring onion
chopped cilantro leaves
lemon wedges

before you start prepping anything else, put your cashews in a cup full of clean, purified water, and let soak for at least 45-60 minutes.

then set in to mince the garlic, onion and ginger, as finely as you can.

heat up the olive oil in a large pot over high heat for a minute or two, reduce to medium-high heat and toss in the garlic, onion, ginger and salt.  saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are a bit translucent.  toss in the brown rice to toast, cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

toss in the liquid aminos (or soy sauce) and lemon juice, and let them sizzle and infuse for a minute.  pour in the water, bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat, cover and let cook for 45 minutes – or until all the water has cooked off, leaving a sticky, porridge-like rice.

while the rice is cooking, if your seaweed isn’t already shredded then cut it up with some scissors.  drop it in with the rice in the last 5 minutes of boiling.

also take this time to chop up any veggies you’d like to top the dish with.  besides the ones i used you could use thinly sliced celery, daikon radish, baby bok choy or maybe a few bean sprouts.

also take a few minutes to prep your almond and cashew cream.  simply drain the cashews and blend them with the almond milk for 1-2 minutes on high.  then strain that mixture to remove any clumps.  you’re left with a thick, super creamy almond and cashew cream that adds just the right texture to the risotto.

once the rice is done, pour the cream in and cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes, stirring every few.  it should cook down into a very thick sauce, which makes the whole dish very sticky.  let cool for 5 minutes before dishing out and enjoying!

i suggest eating immediately, as the texture got a bit dry when refrigerated.  but with a friend or two around, that should be no problem!

yields 2-3 servings