Vegan Brown rice mushroom risotto

Pressed for time and need to cook something quick and easy? We recommend our delicious vegan mushroom risotto made with brown rice. We used to eat risotto all the time, but that was before we went vegan. One of the main things that makes risotto so creamy is butter. Of course, nowadays you can replace pretty much any dairy with vegan equivalents. But I wanted to challenge myself and keep this recipe as healthy as possible.

Another great thing another risotto is that is normally served with chunky ingredients in it, to give it a bit of a crunch or "meaty" texture. So I figured that if I add the right type of wild mushroom it may actually create the right consistency. The cheesy part was simple to replace, we just started adding nutritional yeast to our risotto and the taste was perfect.

There was one last thing left to figure out: how can we use brown rice instead of normal arborio. Turns out, there is such thing as wholegrain arborio rice.

What is arborio rice?

Arborio is an Italian variety of rice. It's a short type of Italian rice in the species Oryza sativa japonica. Arborio is high in amylopectin starch, which is what gives risotto its creamy texture, or why can sometimes be used to replace sushi rice. Arborio rice took the name from the commune of Arborio in Italy. Arborio rice is available as brown rice although it is not as commonly used. Well, we wanted to challenge that and create a healthy, rich in good carbs risotto.

Right, the only challenge is that brown rice, in general, takes a lot longer to cook. Normal white risotto takes around 15-20 minutes whereas the brown counterpart takes double the time. So when attempting this brown rice mushroom risotto make sure you allocate about an hour for it.

What wild mushrooms to use in the brown rice risotto?

Mushrooms are incredible. Not only they are delicious but incredibly healthy. They are packed with nutrients. They have antioxidants, they are also a source of vitamin D which is pretty great. A cup of sliced, raw mushrooms, weighing around 70 grams, provides almost 1 g of fibre. Mushrooms are also pretty versatile and, if cooked well, they can be a great replacement for meat lovers. For example, in our vegan brown rice mushroom risotto, we use king trumpet mushrooms (also known as king oyster mushrooms).

The reason why these mushrooms are great is that when sliced and cooked they have a similar consistency to that of meat. If you love scallops, when cooked the right way, these mushrooms can actually make for a great replacement.

You can use oyster mushrooms, king trumpet mushrooms or even the common brown mushroom. We don't recommend shitake mushrooms in our brown rice mushroom risotto because the taste can be a little overpowering. You can, however, add a 2-3 shitake mushrooms to the recipe for a more intense taste.

Vegan Brown Rice Mushroom Risotto

What do you need to know about our vegan brown rice mushroom risotto? That it's much easier to make than the initial look at the recipe instructions. The most important thing is to now cover your rice. The idea is that all liquids cook into the rice, then the excess evaporates. This makes your risotto taste fantastic. Covering it up at the very end makes it creamy and yum. So make sure you don't skip that step.

As for replacements, remember that you can use any type of mushrooms you wish. We do recommend dry white wine (vegan) but you can also use vermouth if you prefer. We like cooking with dry white wine as it gives the risotto a more vibrant taste, a bit fresher. If you don't drink or don't wish to add alcohol to your food, you can add stock right from the start. Although the taste will not be as deep.

We like to use a non-stick, deep frying pan for making risotto. However, you can also use a normal non-stick pan if you prefer.

Those are all our tips and comments. We made this vegan brown rice mushroom risotto with love and passion. We really do hope you love it just as much. Don't forget to let us know about it in the comments section below.

This recipe has been developed entirely by Yuzu Bakes. Any resemblance with other recipes is purely coincidental.

Vegan brown rice mushroom risotto

5

Average: 5 (1 vote)

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total: 55 mins
• Serves 4 people

Categories: Dinner, Lunch Cusine: Italian, Mediterranean

Description

A delicious and nutritious vegan mushroom risotto made with wholegrain arborio. This brown rice wild mushroom risotto is easy to make, hearty and can be served for dinner and lunch.

Ingredients

(USA / Metric)

• 1 1/3 cup brown rice
• 1 2/3 serving (5 fl oz) white wine
• 6 cups broth, made from vegetable stock
• 2 cups wild mushroom, chopped
• 1 shallot shallot, chopped
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions

• 1. Add a little olive oil in a deep, non-stick, frying pan and fry the chopped shallot until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for another 30-60 seconds until it becomes aromatic. Add the paprika, ginger, ground coriander and thyme and fry for another 30-60 seconds until combined.
  2. Add the chopped wild mushrooms and mix well. If the frying pan is too dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add the 250 grams of wholegrain arborio. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly coated in all spices. Turn up the heat.
  3. Add 250 ml white wine to the frying pan. Mix a little with a wooden spoon. Any harsh wine flavours will evaporate and leave the risotto with a tasty essence.
  4. Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of sea salt. Turn the heat down to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside.
  5. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and allowing all liquid to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 25 minutes.
     Taste the rice. Is it cooked yet? Remember that brown rice cooks a lot slower than normal rice. Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite.
  6. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some more boiling water. Normally 1,5 litres of low salt stock is enough to cook 250g of wholegrain arborio.
     Remove the pan from the heat and add your nutritional yeast.
  7. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for around 2 minutes. This is what makes the perfect risotto. Served immediately and enjoy.

Notes

You can use any type of wild mushrooms you like, although we don't recommend shitake mushrooms as they might overpower the taste of the risotto.
You can use a non-stick deep frying pan or a normal non-stick pan if you prefer.
We use vegan dry wine but you can also replace it with vermouth.

Nutritional Information

Total Nutrition Facts

Serves 4 people

Amount Per Serving
Calories 312
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7 g			9%
	Saturated Fat 2 g		8%
	Trans Fat 0 g		0%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat 4 g
Cholesterol 11 mg			4%
Sodium 526 mg			23%
Total Carbs 38 g			14%
	Dietary Fiber 5 g		17%
	Sugar 8 g		16%
Protein 16 g			31%
Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 3% Calcium 3% Iron 10% Vitamin D 49% Magnesium 16% Potassium 14% Zinc 18% Phosphorus 37% Thiamin (B1) 90% Riboflavin (B2) 56% Niacin (B3) 75% Vitamin B6 42% Folic Acid (B9) 0% Vitamin B12 1% Vitamin E 2% Vitamin K 2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice

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