Theres just something comforting about a steaming warm bowl of creamy risotto. Add a mix of rich, savoury mushrooms into the mix, and it’s pretty much heaven in a bowl. This plant-based indulgence includes all of the flavour, based on the traditional Italian method.
This mixed mushroom risotto can be created using a mix of exotic mushrooms such as shiitake and shimeji, traditional porcini, or simple baby portabellos and white button mushrooms.
For this risotto I chose an exotic mushroom mix which contained:
- shiitake mushrooms (diced)
- shimeji mushrooms (whole)
- king oyster mushrooms (diced)
- brown portabellini (sliced)
If you have access to dried porcini, this is the best option as you can add the rehydrated liquid to stock for extra umami flavour, which is the traditional manner. In this case, I substituted store-bought mushroom stock instead.
The key to a creamy risotto lies in using the correct grains (ideally arborio rice), and constant stirring. It is the ongoing stirring that breaks down the grain of rice, to create the creamy risotto texture.
The length of cooking depends on your preference, some traditional Italian cooks enjoy a firmer grain, which is achievable in about 20 minutes of stirring. Personally, this still tastes “uncooked” to me, and I prefer to cook the grains for at least 35 minutes for a creamy, soft bowl of risotto. This is the way most risottos are served in my experience of eating out, too.
Either way, you’ll be at the stovetop stirring for a while, so put on your fave Italian music, a podcast or Netflix and keep yourself entertained while you stir.
Mixed Mushroom Risotto Ingredients
- 2 cups risotto rice (Arborio)
- 1 packet porcini/ shiitake / mixed exotic mushrooms (at least 250g grams (1/2 a pound), more if you wish)
- 1 packet brown baby portabello (at least 250g grams 1/2 a pound),, more if you wish)
- 2 cups of mushroom stock (or enough mushroom concentrate to make 2 cups)
- 5 cups of vegan beef stock
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (or 2 tablespoons of olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 brown or yellow onion, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Flat Italian Parsley
- 3 Cups of Nutritional Yeast
Mouthwatering Mushroom Risotto
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN RISOTTO
- Begin by heating up the 5 cups of vegan beef stock and the 2 cups of mushroom stock in a saucepan. Keep this on a mild simmer, so that it remains warm.
- In another pot, one big enough to accommodate your risotto, add the 2 tablespoons of oil, and 2 tablespoons of vegan butter (or substituted olive oil).
- Brown your finely chopped onion, and when translucent, add all of your mixed mushrooms. (Check notes above for which to slice, dice or keep whole.) The secret to boosting the flavour of any mushroom is to sweat it. We do this by first vigorously stirring the mushrooms in the pot over high heat, coating them with the oil. Then, reduce the heat to medium, and spread the mushrooms evenly across the pot. Now, sprinkle them with a few pinches of salt. Leave them, like this, for a bout 3 – 5 minutes without stirring. The salt will begin to draw excess liquid from the mushrooms, leaving behind a delicious concentration of flavour. Once the droplets have begun to form, you can begin to stir again. After about 10 – 15 minutes the mushrooms would have reduced, then begin to brown.
- Now, you are ready to add your rice, mixing well to ensure each grain is coated with the mushroom and onion mixture, imparting flavour.
- Begin adding the warmed stock, 1/2 a cup at a time, to the pot. Stir the grains constantly, until the 1/2 cup has been completely absorbed, then add the next 1/2 cup, repeating until all the liquid has been absorbed and the grains are rich and creamy. See note above on cooking time – my preference is 35 minutes of non-stop stirring, for the creamiest, softest results. Begin tasting your grains around 20 minutes to determine their softness.
- When you are happy, turn down the heat and add the 3 cups of nutritional yeast, black pepper and salt to your liking, and garnish with freshly-chopped, flat Italian parsley.
- Serve (with an optional 10 minute green salad) and enjoy!
- 1 packet porcini/ shiitake / mixed exotic mushrooms (at least 250g grams (1/2 a pound), more if you wish)
- 1 packet brown baby portabello (at least 250g grams ½ a pound),, more if you wish)
- 1 cup of mushroom stock (or enough mushroom concentrate to make a cup)
- 5 cups of vegan beef stock
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (or 2 tablespoons of olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons onion, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Flat Italian Parsley
- 3 Cups of Nutritional Yeast
- Begin by heating up the 5 cups of vegan beef stock and the 2 cups of mushroom stock in a saucepan. Keep this on a mild simmer, so that it remains warm.
- In another pot, one big enough to accommodate your risotto, add the 2 tablespoons of oil, and 2 tablespoons of vegan butter (or substituted olive oil).
- Brown your finely chopped onion, and when translucent, add all of your mixed mushrooms. (Check notes above for which to slice, dice or keep whole.) The secret to boosting the flavour of any mushroom is to sweat it. We do this by first vigorously stirring the mushrooms in the pot over high heat, coating them with the oil. Then, reduce the heat to medium, and spread the mushrooms evenly across the pot. Now, sprinkle them with a few pinches of salt. Leave them, like this, for a bout 3 - 5 minutes without stirring. The salt will begin to draw excess liquid from the mushrooms, leaving behind a delicious concentration of flavour. Once the droplets have begun to form, you can begin to stir again. After about 10 - 15 minutes the mushrooms would have reduced, then begin to brown.
- Now, you are ready to add your rice, mixing well to ensure each grain is coated with the mushroom and onion mixture, imparting flavour.
- Begin adding the warmed stock, ½ a cup at a time, to the pot. Stir the grains constantly, until the ½ cup has been completely absorbed, then add the next ½ cup, repeating until all the liquid has been absorbed and the grains are rich and creamy. See note above on cooking time - my preference is 35 minutes of non-stop stirring, for the creamiest, softest results. Begin tasting your grains around 20 minutes to determine their softness.
- When you are happy, turn down the heat and add the 3 cups of nutritional yeast, black pepper and salt to your liking, and garnish with freshly-chopped, flat Italian parsley.
- Serve (with an optional 10 minute green salad) and enjoy!
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