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| The perfect risotto |
| Anoothi Vishal / New Delhi Jul 18, 2009, 00:36 IST |
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The first time I tried a risotto, many years ago, it was at a lunch with the energetic Bina Modi, who had just launched Ego in Delhi, and who was even then not just another industrialist-wife. She pointed out, “it’s khichdi”.
Indeed, for everyone in India who counts on rice as a dietary staple, the risotto has gone on to be a comfort food. You may not like pizza — unless it is Domino’s, and that doesn’t count. You may not like pasta — or have a problem wrapping the spaghetti over your fork, which makes for a pretty embarrassing social situation. And you may not know that there exists anything in Italian cuisine(s) beyond these. But if someone put a gun to your head and said, “eat Italian”, chances are you’d grab a risotto.
Risottos, or risotti as we should say, are indeed life-savers. There is the comfort of the carbs, of course, that makes you want to latch on to them, and they are simple to cook at home while being exotic enough so as not to be dismissed like, say, curd rice. And, they are adaptable. Even though all recipes suggest using chicken stock (“real” chicken stock, not what you get from cubes) along with wine to cook a risotto, it is equally possible to do vegetarian versions with mushrooms and vegetable stock.
This weekend, provided I get hold of some young Gorgonzola, I am going to attempt what has been billed as the “world’s best risotto” on a foodie blog. The author says that he has eaten at Michelin-starred places across Italy but promises that this one is the best and gives detailed instructions for the recipe, which involves toasted pistachios and Gorgonzola Dolce, a young, less strong variety of the Italian cheese. “Don’t make it if you can’t find it,” he warns. But, perhaps I will, because it is also possible to be very creative with risotto.
The new land for risotti is, surprisingly, Japan, where a number of Michelin-rated Italian restaurants are now serving creative fare that would be hard to come by even in Europe. The Wall Street Journal, for instance, writes about the restaurant Passo a Passo (“step by step”, its chef-restaurateur’s philosophy in life; but equally the way to cook risotto) in Tokyo, whose chef, competing in an unusual championship in Venice last June, aboard a yatch, with 41 “culinary luminaries”, brought home the second prize. The chef doesn’t reveal what he cooked on the swaying deck but his strangest and best creations include a strawberry risotto, dressed with lemon zest and a “spring medley” risotto, with broad beans, asparagus, “slow-boiled egg yolk”, topped with paper-thin slices of lard that he makes himself!
In a handful of restaurants in India, it is possible to come across such creativity too. Chef Mandaar Sukhantar at Italia, The Park, Bangalore, is particularly known for being the “risotto chef” of India, hosting annual festivals, where apart from popular seafood specials, wacky recipes such as “chocolate truffle” risottos may be served — even though sweet flavours in maincourses have never been known to sell well in India. But that’s another story.
How do you cook the perfect risotto? The first step is obviously to get the correct rice: Arborio or Carnaroli, not Basmati.
Begin by sauteeing onions and any herbs required in abundant olive oil and remove from oil once the onions are browned. Saute rice in the same oil for about 7 minutes, till translucent, stirring constantly. Return the seasoning to the pot and stir in one-third cup of white wine (some recipes ask for only Chardonnay) though a risotto chef I met some time ago from Villa d’ Este luxury hotel suggests using Balsamic vinegar as a fair substitute. The trick is to use wine that has been warmed.
Once the wine has evaporated, add (simmering) stock in stages. This is really the key to a good risotto. The rice should never be pre-cooked and stock should never be added all at once. In India, we still have reservations about al dente, so Indian chefs suggest a happy compromise of overcooking the rice just a bit so as to have a “flowy” consistency. Now stir in the butter and cheese. Another tip is to cool the rice for a couple of minutes before stirring in cold butter and Parmesan. If making a mushroom risotto, restaurants sometimes sprinkle dried mushroom powder on top for added flavour. Try that.
(anoothi.vishal@bsmail.in)
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