Dashi Risotto

Please excuse this ugly photo. I just made an incredible risotto and there was no time to take a proper picture. I can't wait to share with you. The ingredients list is incredibly simple: onion, arborio rice, mirin, and dashi stock.

What is dashi stock? It is a Japanese fish stock made of kombu (seawdeed) and bonito flakes. You can find both of these in a Chinese or Japanese supermarket.

How to make dashi stock? You start with a quart of water and a slice of kombu the length of your hand. Soak the kombu in the water for a couple of hours or overnight. Then boil the water, just before the water boils over remove the kombu and sprinkle two handfuls of bonito flakes into the water. Let everything boil for 30 minutes, strain the stock, store or use immediately.

Now that you got dashi stock, we're ready for risotto....

Dashi Risotto
Serves two
 
2 cups dashi stock
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup mirin

On low heat, keep dashi stock warm. Heat another pot on medium heat with oil and sautee onion till translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice, mix well with onion. When you hear the rice popping up against the pot add mirin. When the alcohol is almost cooked through, add two ladles of dashi stock over the rice. Stir occasionally to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom or the side of the pot. When there is barely any stock left, ladle another spoonful of stock over the rice. Repeat stirring, adding stock, and stirring until rice becomes plump and stocks are used up. Add salt and pepper any time in the cooking process. When you're down to the last ladle, watch the rice. You don't want all the liquid gone because as risotto cools it draws in more moisture.

Before serving sprinkle some bonito flakes on top. Enjoy right away--don't wait!