Just got back from Key West, and by far the most interesting thing I had was wasabi risotto. Who knew? Decided to try my hand at it right away and instead of pairing with fish, I topped a few Portobellos with this delicious side.
Sources: Bitter Sweet Blog | Vegetarian Ginger
Serves: 4 | Time: 1 hr + 3 hr marinating
Changes to Risotto: replaced mirin with white vinegar and sugar; skipped grapefruit; added ginger juice from a pickled ginger jar
Changes to Mushrooms: replaced soy sauce with coconut aminos
Ingredients
Risotto
2 tbsp EVO
1 leek, washed and thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 – 3/4 tsp salt
1 cup sushi rice
3-4 cup veggie broth (homemade to reduce sodium)
1/4 cup white vinegar + 1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp ginger juice
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 – 3 tsp wasabi paste
Mushrooms
4 Portobello #mushrooms, stems removed and de-gilled
1/2 cup coconut aminos
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp fresh lime juice
2 green onions, finely sliced
Instructions
Start by marinating your mushrooms. Place mushrooms in a large air tight container. Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour the mixture over the mushrooms, cover, and let the mushrooms marinate for at least 3 hours. I let them be for about 6 hours.
Now it's time for the risotto. Set a large saucepan over medium heat and warm the oil before adding in the leek and garlic. Saute for 5–8 minutes, until softened and aromatic, before stirring in 1/4 teaspoon salt to draw out more of the vegetables’ moisture.
Incorporate the rice, stirring to coat, and cook until translucent; about 3–4 minutes.
Pour in the first 1-2 cups of warm vegetable stock, white vinegar and sugar mix, and nutritional yeast, reducing the heat to medium-low, keeping the liquid at a gentle simmer. Stir periodically, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot with your spatula to prevent the mixture from sticking and burning. Once the liquid has mostly absorbed into the grains, add in another 1-2 cups of vegetable stock.
After about 25 minutes of cooking, the liquid should have absorbed into the rice, and the rice will be creamy but tender. Turn off the heat and add the coconut milk, ginger juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi paste, stirring thoroughly. Add more salt or wasabi paste to taste. Set aside the risotto.
Preheat your grill. Place your mushrooms gill-side down on the grill and cover for 7 minutes. Remove mushrooms from grill. Add risotto to the gilled side of the mushrooms and return to the grill with gill side/risotto filled side up. Cover for another 7 minutes.
Remove from the grill. Plate. Enjoy!