Recipe: Vegan Chinese Mushroom 'Risotto'
I don’t know if there is a generic term for rice that has been cooked with broth. The widely accepted word is risotto, but that implies the dish is Italian. In most rice–based cuisines you will have this method of cooking — pilaf is another example that springs to mind. Really it doesn't need a fancy culinary term, it’s just an economical way to make a delicious meal out of some water, vegetables and plain rice! You can increase the water/broth content to make a more liquid congee (AKA jook or juk).
I had the idea to make this rice when I soaked some of my ‘premium’ Chinese mushrooms and noticed the beautiful colour of the soaking water. Too good to waste. It’s one of the unwritten home cooking commandments:
Thou Shalt Not Throw Away The Mushroom Soaking Liquid
The water transformed the rice into a rich, nutty risotto full of umami and smoky flavours. The first thing my partner said when he tasted it was: “It tastes like bolognese”! This rice is so filling and satisfying that you can eat it by itself. In a way, this dish sums up the Celestial Peach philosophy, which is to make rice the star of the show. Here I have served it with some blanched pak choi, drizzled with my homemade umami dressing (vegetarian oyster sauce would also do) and some pickled radish, whose tartness balances out the voluptuous flavour.
Chef’s note: the mushrooms I used were agaricus blazei, also known by its Japanese name, himematsutake. I was given them by a Hong Kong aunty, but haven’t seen them so much in the UK. They are considered an anti–cancer superfood and taste of almonds. The colour reminds me of chanterelles, which could be a good substitute. Otherwise, a dried mushroom such as shiitake would work.
Let me know if you try this recipe and share your results on Instagram with #CelestialPeach.
Ingredients (serves 4)
6 dried agaricus blazei mushrooms (or shiitake mushrooms)
1 cup red rice (or wholegrain brown rice)1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 thumb ginger, finely minced
1 spring onion, finely chopped
3–4 leaves of cabbage or similar leafy greens, finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vegetarian oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
Instructions
Soak the mushrooms in at least 500ml warm or room temperature water for a few hours until fully rehydrated. Squeeze the mushrooms out while reserving the soaking liquid.
Finely chop the mushrooms and set aside.
Heat the oil to smoking point in a wok or large saucepan, take it off the heat and stir fry the garlic, ginger and spring onion, moving everything quickly until a fragrant aroma is released.
Return the pan to a medium/high heat, add the dry rice and continue to stir fry. Try to coat every grain with oil.
Add the chopped mushroom, cabbage, oyster sauce and soy sauce and stir fry for a few minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
Slowly add the soaking liquid to the pan, allowing the rice to absorb the water. Adjust the heat to keep the liquid just under a rolling boil.
Keep stirring and adding the water until the rice is a thick and creamy consistency. It should have an al dente bite to it.
