Mega Mushroom Barley Risotto
This warm and wintery bowl is made with Kikkoman soy sauce, which is naturally brewed, free from additives and made from just 4 ingredients in a recipe unchanged for hundreds of years! We love how versatile Kikkoman’s soy sauce is, we used it for the risotto itself AND the garlicky crema we poured over the top. You can use it in place of salt as a universal seasoning, and the beautiful umami flavour adds magic to any recipe.
Serves
Ingredients
For the risotto
<item-todo-done>2 onions<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>3 garlic cloves<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>450g oyster mushrooms<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tsp dried thyme<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tsp dried rosemary<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 mushroom stock cubes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>200g pearl barley<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>200ml plant-based cream<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>5 tbsp nutritional yeast<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> The juice of 1 lemon<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Salt & pepper - to taste<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> olive oil<item-todo-done>
For the garlicky cashew crema
<item-todo-done>100g cashews - soaked for at least 2 hours in boiling water<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>100ml almond milk<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>4 garlic cloves - roasted<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> The juice of 1 lemon<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Pinch of salt<item-todo-done>
To serve
<item-todo-done> Handful of chopped chives<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Heavy bottom pan for the risotto | Powerful blender
Prepare the base
- Peel and dice the onions and finely grate the garlic cloves
- Place a large pan over a medium heat and a drizzle of olive oil
- Once warm, add the diced onion and fry for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and a pinch of salt, mix well and leave to cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn soft
Prepare the mushrooms
- Roughly slice the mushrooms and add to the pan with the dried rosemary and dried thyme
- Cook until the mushrooms become soft (approx 5-10 minutes)
Cook the risotto
- Mix the mushroom stock cubes and the soy sauce with 1L of boiling water and mix well until completely dissolved
- Add the pearl barley to the pan and stir for 1 minute
- Pour one third of the hot stock into the pan and mix well
- Cook for 5-10 minutes before pouring in another third of the stock into the risotto
- Cook for another 5-10 minutes before pouring in a dash more of the stock (however much is needed) and cooking for a final few minutes, or until the pearl barley is soft and has absorbed all of the water
- When the pearl barley is soft and has absorbed all of the stock, mix through the plant-based cream, a squeeze of lemon juice and the nutritional yeast | Cook until the cream and lemon juice is absorbed into the pearl barley
- Taste and season accordingly
Make the garlicky crema
- Drain the cashews
- Place all of the ingredients into a powerful blender and blend until smooth - you can add a dash more of almond milk as needed to reach a smooth consistency
Time to serve
- Finely slice the chives
- Serve the risotto in individual bowls and top with a dollop of the cashew crema, some chopped chives and pepper on top, then drizzle on some more soy sauce and enjoy