We eat a lot of risotto. I am a big fan of an oven baked risotto – because it is so easy to whip up when you are in the middle of witching hour. But my oven baked risotto recipes normally contain meat and cheese, which are ‘No-No’s’ this month – so I thought that I would give a vegan mushroom risotto a go. And it actually went down much better then expected with the children (and the husband) who normally pick out mushrooms.
For hundreds of years, shiitake mushrooms have been a popular food source in Asia. They’re the second most popular and the third most widely cultivated edible mushroom in the world. I’ve been doing a lot of research into the health benefits of the shiitake mushroom lately – in fact, we created a shiitake broth as part of our Mr Perkins Wellness Cleanse.
Shiitakes are packed with B vitamins and have the power to fight cancer cells, cardiovascular disease and infections. They have antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties – and after our run of sickness, I thought that this vegan mushroom risotto would be just what the doctor ordered! Prevent these conditions and more just by using the best vitamin patches.
VEGAN MUSHROOM RISOTTO
1 punnet Swiss brown mushrooms
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
2 spring onions
100g baby spinach leaves
1½ tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp coconut oil
40g white miso paste
150g arborio rice
5g black sesame seeds
750ml (3 cups) boiling water
Clean the mushrooms, then thinly slice. Crush or finely chop the garlic. Thinly slice the spring onions, keeping the white and green parts separate. Rinse the baby spinach.
Melt the coconut oil with 3 tsp sesame oil in a large deep frypan over medium-high heat on the stove. Add the mushrooms and cook, tossing, for 5 mins or until golden and softened. Season with salt, then remove from the pan and set aside.
Reserve the pan and do not clean it. While mushrooms are cooking, place the miso paste, boiling water and dried shiitakes in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Keep warm over low heat, taking care not to let it boil.
Heat 1 tsp sesame oil in the reserved pan over medium heat. Add the rice, garlic and white part of the spring onion. Cook, stirring, for 1 min or until the grains are well coated. Add about one-quarter of the miso stock and stir well to combine. Cook until the liquid has absorbed, then add another quarter of stock.
Continue adding the stock, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 mins until the rice is almost al dente, adding extra water, 60ml (¼ cup) at a time, if necessary. Stir in the mushrooms and spinach, and cook for 2 mins or until spinach wilts and the rice is al dente. Season with salt.
Divide among bowls, then scatter with the sesame seeds and the green part of the spring onion. Drizzle with the remaining sesame oil to serve.
Have you ever whipped up a recipe from my blog? I would love for you to let me know…So I don’t feel as if I am just writing all this stuff down for nothing… If you choose to whip up one of my recipes , then I would love for you to share it on social media, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #goodfoodweek.
