If there's a cuisine that best describes Canada as a nation, it's fusion cuisine. We are a multicultural melting pot of cultures and with culture comes food.
The best fusion cuisine combines flavours and techniques of cuisines from around the world. This Fusion Food Friday recipe is Indian curried risotto, which combines Indian flavours with French techniques. It is a hearty, comforting meal that will tantalize your taste buds and make you want a second serving.
This recipe also best encapsulates who I am 香蕉视频直播� a first-generation Indo-Canadian who has lived in Montreal, travelled to France, and loves both Indian and French food. Yes, I'm a journalist, but my first dream was to go to culinary school. Instead, I ended up in J-school, which is a story in and of itself.
This fresh take on a classic dish is a recipe I have perfected over the years. It can be made vegetarian, vegan or neither, depending on the fat you use to cook it with and the broth.
Indian curried risotto
- 1 and 1/2 cups Arborio rice or short grain brown rice
- 2 pods of cardamom, crushed
- 4 cloves, whole
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon, whole
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1-2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
- 1 red onion or its equivalent in shallots, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 2 tbsp of yellow curry powder
- 1 tbsp of Kashmiri red chili powder*
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
- 1-2 inch piece ginger, minced or grated
- 1 tsp hing powder*
- 2/3 cup dry white wine*
- 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth, preferrably low sodium*
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 a lime
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce*
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese*
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
The first instruction differs based on the type of rice you use. If Arborio rice, then all you have to do is rinse the rice until it's clear before cooking. If short grain brown rice, soak the rice overnight or for a few hours at least to bring the cooking time down as brown rice can take a while to cook.
In a separate pot, add your broth and set it to low heat. When you later ladle the broth into the rice, it's better for the broth to be a similar temperature to the pot or pan with risotto in it because if you ladle in cold or room temperature broth, it lowers the heat of the pan and the risotto will take longer to cook.
Turn your stove to medium heat and once the hot is hot, add the whole spices and let them toast in the pot or pan for a couple minutes.
Add the ghee or coconut oil. Ghee will provide a north Indian flavour, while coconut oil will provide a south Indian flavour, as well as help make it vegan if that's what you're going for.
Add diced red onion or shallots, garlic, ginger and the spices, yellow curry powder, Kashmiri red chili and hing powder. Cook until the onion is translucent, continuously stirring so the bottom of the pan doesn't burn. Add a 1/3 cup of white wine, as well as the tomatoes, and cook for couple more minutes.
Not to worry, the risotto will not have any alcohol content, the wine is just to help scrape off the tasty bits at the bottom of the pan, as well as cut the richness of the dish with its acidity.
Transfer into a blender and turn it into a paste. Add a little water if needed to get the blender going. Set aside.
Drain the rice and add it to the same pan without rinsing the pan. The rice will soak up the remnants of flavour left by the base you cooked earlier. Keep stirring for a couple minutes to slightly toast the rice. De-glaze the pan with the remaining white wine. Add the paste and stir, ensuring each grain of rice is coated by it.
Add the broth, one ladle at a time, adding a ladle every time the broth in the pan has been soaked up by the rice.
In a separate pan, saut茅 the carrots, mushrooms, peas and chickpeas until the carrots are softer but still have a bite to them. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook the risotto until it is creamy and the rice has a slight al dente bite. If you use Arborio rice, it won't take too long. Brown rice will take longer.
Add the coconut milk, pecorino or Parmesan, veggies, lime, Tamari soy sauce, and 3/4 of the cilantro, as well as salt and pepper to taste. The coconut milk will take the risotto's creaminess to another level. Garnish with the rest of the cilantro.
Notes
If you don't have Kashmiri red chili powder, it can be replaced with paprika, although it will slightly change the flavour. I would also recommend cutting the amount in half as paprika is spicer than Kashmiri red chili, which is not as spicy but works better to provide a rich, natural colour. In Prince Rupert Kashmiri red chili powder can be found at Safeway, Save On Foods or an Indian specialty store such as Inder's Karyana Store.
Hing powder can be omitted, but it adds a savoury, umami flavor, as well as health benefits such as improving digestion, reducing inflammation, and boosting your immune system. It's available at any Indian specialty store.
If you don't want to use white wine, whether for religious reasons or you don't have it on hand, it can replaced with 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar. The amount is half of what's listed for the wine as rice wine vinegar is more acidic.
It is better to use low sodium broth so you have better control over the amount of sodium you want in the dish. Not to mention, this recipe asks for tamari soy sauce which also adds some sodium.
Tamari soy sauce is a particular type of soy sauce that is less salty and has a more umami-forward flavour. It can be found at Safeway and Save On Foods.
The pecorino or Parmesan can be omitted if you don't want cheese in the risotto, or can be replaced with vegan Parmesan.
