Miso Mushroom Risotto (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

When I went to Restaurant Eugene, I ate Chef Linton Hopkin's truffle risotto, and couldn't help but think about how I wanted my dad and brother to try it too. This play on risotto was inspired by that trip and our Asian background, and I have to say, even though I'm not that big of a rice fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this! My dad went back for seconds too, so I take that as a sign of success :)

What I love most about this recipe is that it's a great way to use up leftovers, particularly sticky rice. It's customary to make fried rice with leftover rice, but fried rice is best made with loose, not sticky, grains. So instead of making fried rice, I capitalized on the stickiness of the sticky rice to make creamy "risotto" (quotations around "risotto" because risotto is traditionally made with arborio rice). 

Just a heads up - I attempted to pair the risotto with crispy brussels sprouts for textural variation, but it didn't really fit with the rest of the dish, so I'm omitting it from this recipe. If you do want a brussels sprouts recipe, however, check this one out! 

Recipe: Miso Mushroom Risotto

By: Hannah Claudia

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2 cups of water

2 tablespoons of miso paste

1 cup of portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup of mini oyster mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt & pepper, to taste

olive oil

2 cups of leftover rice (I had a sticky rice blend on hand -- 1/2 sticky rice, 1/2 brown rice)

1/2 cup of frozen peas, cooked

salt & pepper, to taste

1 sprig of green onion/scallion, finely chopped

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1. In a medium sized pot, add the water and miso paste. Whisk until combined; heat the mixture until it begins to simmer (don't let it boil) and keep it at a simmer.

2. In a small pan, heat the olive oil. Add all of the mushrooms and minced garlic; saute until the mushrooms are cooked through. Set aside.

3. In a large pot over medium heat, add the leftover rice. Use a wooden spoon to break the rice up for about a minute.

4. Use a ladle to add 1 ladle full of miso soup to the rice. Stir the rice and soup to combine.

5. Allow the rice to fully absorb the soup before adding another ladle of miso soup; stir to combine. Repeat this process until you've used up all of the soup.

6. Add 3/4 of the mushrooms (and whatever juices have been released from the mushrooms), all of the peas, and 1/2 of the chopped green onion to the risotto. Season with salt & pepper.

7. Plate the risotto and top with the remaining mushrooms and green onion.

xoxo, han