Saffron Brown Rice Risotto With Ginger and Turmeric

Saffron Brown Rice Risotto With Ginger and Turmeric

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 cup / 7 oz / 200 gr brown rice (arborio or Japanese short grain)

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped

½ cup / 125 ml white wine

large pinch of saffron

½ teaspoon turmeric

2 cups / 500 ml vegetable stock

black pepper to taste

¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)

1 tablespoon butter (optional)

Directions

Bring stock to a low simmer in a medium pot. Season well and turn the heat low.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan or wide, heavy saucepan and add the onion and ginger. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the rice. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice separate and beginning to crackle, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the wine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The wine should bubble but not too quickly. You want some of the flavor to cook into the rice before it evaporates.

When the wine has just about evaporated, stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock (around ½ cup), enough to just cover the rice, together with the saffron and the turmeric.

Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, not too fast and not too slowly, stirring often and adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, until the rice is cooked, 40 minutes or so. It’s brown rice so it’s going to be a little bit crunchy on the outside but make sure that it’s not too hard in the middle.

When the rice is cooked, add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. If you're an omnivore, stir in the Parmesan, butter, and little bit more of stock. Remove from the heat. Cover and let sit for 2 minutes before serving.