Sunday, November 8, 2015

Red Bell Pepper Risotto


Dishes with Roasted Bell peppers are increasing becoming my favorite comfort food :). This one is a killer which I will cook again and again. On roasting this vegetable gives a heavenly aroma. So I guess experimenting with roasted bell peppers will continue! :)



Risotto is an Italian dish made usually with Arboria Rice which is a short grain rice with high starch content. A good Indian replacement can be Ponni rice / idli rice which have similar properties and are easily available in stores. 

I roast the bell pepper directly on stove for this. Keep turning around the pepper to roast it evenly. Once charred take it off the stove and allow it to cool. Few cloves of garlic roasted a bit on stove and the pepper make the sauce for this dish. 





Another element used here is the coconut milk which gives the creaminess to dish. The last time I made this I dint use any other veges and it tasted just as good but with Mushrooms it had a buttery bite-y texture to the dish. 

Cooking of the Rice


  • Soak the rice for 2 hours.
  • This dish is best cooked slow in a covered pan on a low-medium flame.
  • Stir the rice every few minutes and don't allow rice to stick to bottom.
  • Add warm water time to time when it has dried. Repeat this until rice is cooked.
  • Cooked Rice stays slightly chewy.



Instead of water you can use vegetable stock or if you feel like indulging use wine additionally.






Ingredients

2 red bell peppers
Mushrooms 200 gms
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup ponni rice
1 onion finally chopped
2-3 garlic cloves
Loads of basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Warm water

  
1. Roast the Red Bell Peppers on Stove. Once Uniformly charred remove and keep to cool. Deseed and roughly chop the Peppers.
2. Roast a few garlic cloves. And along with the roasted pepper grind to make a smooth sauce.
3. In a pan heat two tbs of oil and saute the onions until transperant.
4. Saute the chopped mushrooms just slightly. They continue to cook along with the sauce.
5. Put in the drained rice and saute it for a few minutes.
6. Pour in the sauce and coconut milk and allow it to heat. Put in the basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper as per taste.
7. Dilute the sauce with water if needed and allow the mixture to cook in a covered vessel.
8. Keep stirring the mixture and add more warm water when necessary. Repeat till rice is properly cooked and sauce has sufficiently dried.
9. Garnish with basil leaves and enjoy this aromatic meal :)

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