Risottos are one of my favorite dishes to make. There are almost endless variations as to what you can do with a risotto to adapt it to whatever flavor profile it is you are shooting for. When done properly, its hard to top the creamy deliciousness of a risotto. I am going to share with you a recipe I use to make a yummy lemongrass risotto!

Ingredients

• 1 cup - Arborio rice
• 4 Tbsp - olive oil
• 2 stalks of lemongrass finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp of finely chopped or grated ginger root
• 2 - 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 medium white onion finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp - crushed red pepper flake
• 3 - 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup dry white wine

Directions

1. Prepare your chicken or vegetable stock by bringing it almost to a boil and then reducing to a simmer.
2. Heat your pan and add in the olive oil until warm
3. Add in the onion, garlic, ginger root, lemongrass and red pepper flake. Cook until onion is tender.
4. Next add in the Arborio rice and stir until all of the rice is coated with oil. Cook until rice is slightly translucent but do not brown the rice.
5. Once the rice is sauteed add in the wine and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed.
6. Begin adding the warm stock to the rice gradually (1/3 - 1/4 cup at a time) and stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed
7. Continue to repeat step 6 until the rice is tender, but not too soft or mushy.
8. Once the rice is cooked almost to your liking add in the coconut milk and stir until absorbed.
9. Check the rice and if it is too crunchy/has too much bite, add in more stock till desired texture is reached.
10. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Enjoy!

The dish pictured above incorporates the lemongrass risotto along with pan seared scallops, asparagus and a cherry gastrique. Check my previous articles for tips on nailing pan seared scallops and continue to follow me here on Odyssey for more recipes. If you want to keep track of my personal food adventures and experiments you can follow me on Instagram @food_chefner.