R-i-s-o-t-t-o

Those who've cooked or eaten risotto will know that the best tasting risotto is made and eaten fresh, otherwise it is just an unyielding lump of starch and protein. So for this post, I thought I’d focus on the journey of making the risotto which, I believe, is one of the more scenic ones.

The initial challenge was to figure out the risotto flavoring. Being vegetarian, it was easy to go with wild mushroom and dry wine but that sounded drab so I decided to color it up a bit and opted for black asian fungus and red wine/ sherry cooking wine reduction instead.

I sautéed some red onion, garlic, black fungus and red walnuts in olive oil and a small scoop of butter. I waited till the onions were nicely caramelized and the house was alive with a warm onion-garlic-butter smell. Then I added in the risotto rice and tossed it around till the rice toasted to a golden yellow (not brown!) and emitted a nice nutty odor.

Quick aside - cooking risotto is one of the most rewarding experiences since it is cooked in distinctive stages and each stage contributes a unique flavor, smell and texture, not to mention taste. The onions and garlic warming in butter give way to the toasty smell of risotto rice which in turn yields to the acidic smell of wine and finally the sharp smell of parmesan cheese sets in as the risotto swirls around. And I keep scooping the risotto with my finger to sample the taste - it just tastes better off the finger than the spoon - mmmmmmm

Ah! Back to reality... I started adding the vegetable stock to cook the rice. Now purists may add stock and wine in equal alternate measures but I say do what your heart tells you. If you want a harder hitting risotto, go for some additional wine, maybe a few drops of balsamic vinegar or even soy sauce - you are the artist...

Anyhow, I kept adding the vegetable stock till the rice was half cooked and then introduced my wine and sherry reduction. If I were to put a ballpark estimate to the total liquid proportion, I’d say it was 3 parts stock and 1 part wine/sherry. The key is to keep stirring the risotto so the rice is fully agitated, releases starch and takes on a creamy texture. Also, it is important to add the stock/ wine of your choice cup by cup (adding the next cup only once the previous cup has been absorbed) so that the rice doesn’t just cook but releases starch.

After the rice was fully cooked, I turned off the heat and added parmesan cheese (although would have preferred goat cheese if I had some). I’ve learned from a disastrous experience before, that cheese and heat make for strange bedfellows. Also, I find it helpful to add salt and pepper after the cheese has been incorporated so that saltiness from all the different ingredients is accounted for. Since risotto is a complete dish, it can tend to get monotonous. To help the palate break the the monotony of flavor, I added some fresh grapes to act as a freshener between bites. The toasted walnuts also added a wonderful crunch texture to the risotto to keep it alive. All in all, a scenic journey with all the sights, sounds and smells and a rainbow at the end.

By the way, I also realized that cooking can also improve spelling. Rissotto, Rissoto, Risotto - ha ha ha - you get the drift. If there was a spelling bee specializing in cooking, r-i-s-o-t-t-o would definitely be on that list.

biryani "dum pukht style"

Let's talk about aroma for a while. Who doesn't love the warm smell of freshly baked cookies, the whiff of morning coffee, a bowl of steaming fragrant pho or the sweet scent of freshly chopped mint.... ahhhh!!!

But how do I describe Biryani cooked "dum pukht style" - slow steaming in a completely encased clay pot. The idea is to cook rice with herbs, spices and vegetables (or meat) on slow heat for hours on end. And so when you open the pot, the smells just burst and envelop you in a symphony of flavors - nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, saffron and cinnamon all jiving together. I'd love to have a wine taster close their eyes, take in a lungful of fresh cooked biryani and then write a description.

It was my first time cooking it in this way and I must say that the wait is worth treating the olfactories to a drool inducing aroma.

First, I sauteed finely chopped onions, potatoes, chickpeas, chopped carrots and cauliflower till everything was slightly cooked taking care to add onions before all the other veggies so they caramelized nicely.

Next, I added in basmati rice (washed and drained) along with roasted cashews, raisins, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, bay leaves, coarse black pepper, turmeric, paprika and salt to taste. Then I sauteed the rice, vegetables and spices for a few minutes and added a little vegetable stock to keep the rice from sticking to the pan.

Finally, I turned off the heat, put this entire mixture into a clay pot, topped with vegetable stock (approx 2.5 times the amount of rice), added saffron (soaked in some milk to release its color and fragrance) and sealed the pot with flour dough so the steam would not escape. And then off into the oven for 2.5 hrs at 350 degrees.

It was a bit of a battle to open the seal since it was shut tight as the dough had baked and become absolutely hard. I got hit by a few flying shards in the eye while chipping the dough away but what's a sweet victory without a few battle scars :)