Bored of plain rice or just looking for a delight? Check out this Risotto recipe that elevates any meal to a new height!

Risotto may sound like another fancy Italian dish that we would be eagerly waiting for with sparkling eyes full of hope while sipping wine on a plush restaurant chair. Once our own eyes behold its soggy, rather overcooked rice appearance though, we may not be thinking of how humbly, yet gracefully we’ll be begging the chef for its recipe anymore. Until we try the first bite, of course.

The Italian word “riso” simply means “rice” so if someone was already acquainted with the language, figuring out the dish didn’t pose a significant challenge. Of course, we have a rather strange habit of naming stuff for no apparent reason, like egg rolls or monkey bread but mostly a dish’s name allows us a brief peak into its ingredients.

Risotto, although, it made of rice, it doesn’t really give away much about its nature, let alone create excitement, especially in whose previous experience with the Italian kitchen is scant. Probably we could figure out that it’s far from being a main dish but deciding if it’s a side or starter without a menu, just by looking at it, would most likely pose a challenge.

To be fair, it would be pretty hard to describe a dish that isn’t really a dish but rather a cooking technique for rice. Making risotto is the most popular way of preparing rice in Italy and the ingredients used for it are far and wide.

Onion, butter or olive oil with white wine and some sort of stock are common ingredients in all risottos so is Parmesan cheese. As we could have guessed already, apart from these basic ingredients, Risotto is just like Ragu and has no definite recipe.

Some risottos, that claimed certain ingredients as their own, managed to carve extra space for themselves, like the Risotto alla Milanese, seafood risotto or the Risi e bisi, but consistency isn’t necessarily a thing even there.

What makes Risotto different from all the other rice dishes out there is their rich and creamy coating which is achieved by the starch rubbed off the rice grains with the continuous stirring during the cooking process.

For those well versed in real Italian cooking, it probably goes without saying, that similarly to carbonara at no point cream should be added to risotto. Other dairies though, like Parmesan cheese and butter, as in many Italian recipes, are a welcome addition.

Although risotto looks like a dish that doesn’t respect any limits, purists insist on serving risotto on flat dishes and a perfectly prepared rice should not allow any excess liquid seeping over its boundaries.

Since rice isn’t actually overcooked but carefully prepared, similarly to pasta’s famous “al dente” which, at this state, is still supposedly a bit firm inside, risotto needs to be eaten right away to enjoy its creaminess, contrasted in texture with the rice’s still firm inside.

If left unguarded and unloved, the rice absorbs all the tasty liquid, then becomes soft and even worse dry on the outside, just like any other rice. Done right, risotto will please any crowd given we can find one that can do something with a plate of gooey, yet really tasty rice.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons / 30ml Cooking oil
1 medium / 150g Onion (finely cut)
3 stalks / 100g Celery (finely cut)
2 cloves / 6g Garlic (finely cut)
1 teaspoon / 5g Salt
1½ cup / 400g Risotto rice
2 cups / 500g Dry white vermouth or dry white wine (optional substitute with stock)
5 cups / 1100g Stock or just plain water
½ cup / 90g Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon / 15g Butter (optional)

How to make Risotto

Heat oil to medium then add the finely chopped onion, celery, garlic and salt.
Cook on low to medium heat until collapses, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning or coloring.
Add rice, turn the heat up then stir-fry the rice until it looks slightly glassy / translucent, about 1 minute.
Pour in the vermouth or dry wine and keep stirring until the liquid is reduced to about one third of its original volume. If this step is skipped just use more stock or water.`
Start adding the stock or water in one ladle at a time while stirring constantly. Once one spoonful of stock seem to be gone, add the next one.
Keep on doing it until there is no more stock left. Try the rice. If it feels like chewing on sand or nuts, it’s not ready yet. Keep on cooking and stirring while ladling additional amount of water to the risotto.
Once we have cooked the rice but there is still a bit of resistance to it, take it off heat and mix in the Parmesan. An additional spoonful of butter seems like a welcome addition for those who don’t count calories.
The risotto should be pretty sticky at this point but not quite ready.
Cover the risotto then let it sit for a couple of minutes to allow the residual heat, finish the cooking and some of the liquid absorbed by the rice. Serve it hot.

Enjoy!

F.A.Q.

What is the trick to make good risotto?

The trick to make good risotto is time and love poured into the constant stirring of the rice while cooking. Risotto creaminess comes from the starch broken off the rice while constantly rubbing the grains against each other.

What is the main ingredient in risotto?

The main ingredient in risotto as its name indicates, given we know some Italian, is rice.

What goes well in a risotto?

Risotto is a starter in its birthplace, Italy so nothing goes with it there. We can use it as a regular side dish though and eat all sort of protein with it like chicken, pork, fish or simply vegetables.

Is risotto healthier than rice?

No, risotto isn’t healthier than rice as it is made of rice. If anything, then it is unhealthier since the starches are broken free, ready to be absorbed by our body raising insulin levels faster than it is good for us.