Asian Fusion Risotto

Risotto? What is that ? I  am clueless what it was until 3months ago. Risotto is actually Italian rice dish, to explain it further  it is dish of rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. The broth may be meat-, fish-, or vegetable-based. And most  risotto contain Parmesan cheese, butter, and onion. To me, it does sound familiar just like Asian “Chok”/“Jook’/Congee/Rice porridge. These are different terms to describe it.  Rice is boiled in a large amount of water until it softens/breakdown to a thick or creamy consistency. There is a lot of variation in how Asians cook the rice porridge/congee. My mum likes to cook it in a broth/stock and adds ingredients like fish slices, minced pork/chicken and etc.. to make it pack with flavour. I like my rice porridge/congee to be in thick consistency.  The use of different types of rice with different quantities of water,  producing rice porridges/congees of different consistencies.  There is also plain version of congee/rice porridge, which going well with dishes of salted egg, fermented beancurd, salted fish (yum…my favourite), dried anchovies, fried dough 油条 (you tiao), pork stew, fried cabbage and etc…the list goes on and on…  Have it savoury, thick or thin, luxurious or simple. It is up to you.

Ever since I relocated to New Zealand, I came across Risotto very often  in the cooking programs. I am hooked to cooking programs like Masterchef. Through the programs, I got my ideas of what to cook as well as to brush up my cooking skills. I am Asian Chinese and my partner is a Kiwi, I need to have a balance when cooking meals. My preference is  still Asian food. As much as I would like to have Asian food daily, I have to think of my the other half as well. He would definitely prefers his western food too. My knowledge of  western cooking is really limited, cooking program is sure the best venue to gain that knowledge and skills.

Today, I am going to create an my very own Asian Fusion Risotto.

Serving: 4-5 persons ( I am cooking more servings so that I can pack for lunch)

Ingredients:

300g Chicken Breasts, cut into cubes or slices (up to you)

1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce

1 Tablespoon Seasame Oil

Dash of pepper

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Cup Cabbage, slice thinly

1 Cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables

1 Can (295g) Watties' Creamy Chicken Soup

500 ml of Campbell Salt Reduced Chicken Stock

1 1/2 Cup Medium Grain Rice, washed and drained

2 Tablespoon Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Marinate the chicken with oyster sauce, seasame oil and pepper. Set side while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Heat up a medium size pan  with oil in medium heat. Sautee the garlic until fragrant. Add in the chicken. Stir fry until the chicken are cooked through. Dish up and set side.

3. Using the same pan (do not wash), put in the rice stir for while. Add in creamy chicken soup and chicken stock. Stir to mix well. Turn the heat down to medium-low  to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Cooking risotto is very baour intensive as you need to stir them constantly to prevent the rice grains sticking to the bottom of a pan as well as release the starch. This is what thickens risotto and makes it creamy.

4. When the stock has evaporated to almost half the original amount, add in the cabbage and mixed vegetables. Stir in to mix well. Stir constantly so that the rice grains absorbed the stock which will take about 20mins-30mins for the risotto to be already. Risotto is only ready when the rice grains are tender but still firm to the bite.  If all the stock has evaporated or absorb by the rice and the risotto still isn't done, you can finish the cooking using hot water.

5. When the risotto is ALMOST ready, add the the cooked chicken. Stir in to mix well with the rice mixture for about 2mins. Salt and pepper to taste. Dish up and serve! :)