Shiitake, miso and vegan parmesan fill this risotto dish with deep umami flavours and paired with creamy arborio rice cooked in a savoury mushroom broth makes for the ultimate plate of comfort food...
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SERVES: 2 PEOPLE | PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES | COOKS IN: 20 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE MUSHROOM STOCK
Olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 heaped tsp white miso paste
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio risotto rice
1/2 cup vegan white wine (optional)
1 tbsp vegan butter
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese
Large pinch fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt & pepper
1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese
Large pinch fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt & pepper
METHOD
1. For the mushroom stock, first fry the shallot and minced garlic in a pan with a little olive oil until soft. Add in the shiitake mushrooms and continue to fry those off for 5-10 minutes until lightly golden in colour. Pour in the mushroom stock, season with salt and pepper, stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce back to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat, stir through the miso and allow to cool slightly.
2. In a separate shallow pan, drizzle in a tablespoon of olive oil then add in the chopped shallots and minced garlic, and fry off until soft on a medium heat. Next add in the arborio risotto rice, stir through to combine and continue to lightly toast it off until the rice turns slightly translucent. If using vegan white wine, pour it in at this point and continue to stir until it has cooked into the rice.
3. Transfer the slightly cooled stock to a blender or blend in the pan using an immersion blender, and blitz until completely smooth. Reheat slowly back in the pan.
4. Add the first ladle of stock into the rice along with a good pinch of sea salt, turn the heat down low and continue stirring until the stock has cooked off. Continue adding in the stock, one ladle at a time, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed by the rice before adding in the next, this should take around 15 minutes until the rice is cooked; soft but with a little bit of a bite to it.
5. Next, add the remaining 100g of shiitake mushrooms to the empty stock pan with a little olive oil, wipe it dry beforehand if necessary. Fry those off for 5 minutes until golden in colour.
6. Meanwhile, turn off the heat on the risotto. Add in the vegan butter, nutritional yeast, vegan parmesan, parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir well then place on the lid and allow to sit for 3 minutes.
7. Serve up the risotto rice and add the fried shiitake on top, alternatively you can stir them through before serving. Garnish with more vegan parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.