Creamy Uni (Sea Urchin) Risotto 6


I just can’t get enough of Uni! I just got a box of fresh uni from Isetan. It’s so sweet and fresh. These cute little  ones never fail to caress your tongue and the next moment, they just melt in your mouth.

I had quite a few meals of sushi rice with Uni for the past 2 weeks and I am a bit sick of having the same combination again. I have been racking my brain on what to cook with uni. Ah ha… Uni Risotto sounds like a good idea! Creamy plus creamy! Moreover this dish will definitely highlight the sweetness of the briny Uni.

This dish is not very difficult. The only difficult part is to gauge the doneness of the risotto. It should be Al Dente. But what is al dente? Al dente – to me personally, cooked thoroughly to the centre of the grain but not mushy and overcook. The rice will still be slightly firm to bite – without the powdery feel of the raw grain. Start tasting when the liquid is about 3/4 used.

Risotto requires frequent stirring. You do not need to stir for every seconds but you do need to stir frequently. Stirring allows the grain to release starch that results in the creaminess of the risotto. Add the stock parts by part and stir to prevent the grains from sticking to the pan and to encourage the releasing of starch from the grain. Divide the water into 5 parts and add the water parts by parts. Only when the earlier part of the water is almost absorb by the rice, then add in the next part. The whole process of cooking risotto takes about 20 to 30 mins (depending on the heat used). I used medium low heat. Amount of water used might varies slightly as evaporation of water will be lesser for lower heat used and higher evaporation on higher heat used. That’s why, add the broth part by part and stop adding when you think it reaches the right doneness.

Also, I used concentrated chicken stock and water instead of store-bought chicken broth for this recipe. Feel free to use the store-bought chicken broth if you want to. The saltiness of the broth varies for different brands and also remember to dilute with water. If not, the risotto will be very salty after the evaporation of the broth.

Bon Appetite!


Creamy Uni (Sea Urchin) Risotto
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 100g Carnaroli or Arborio Rice
  • 1 tablespoon Oil
  • 1 tablespoon Chopped Garlic
  • 3 tablespoon White Wine
  • 10g Butter
Chicken Broth
  • 600 ml Water (or 300 ml store-bought chicken broth, diluted with 300 ml water *proportion of broth to water depends on the saltiness of the broth which varies from brand; change the proportion accordingly if the broth is very salty; better to be more diluted and add salt later)
  • 1 teaspoon Concentrated Chicken Stock (omit if using store-bought chicken broth)
Uni Cream
  • 100ml Cream
  • 30g Uni
Toppings
  • 2 tablespoons Uni
  • 2 tablespoons Tobiko
  • 2 tablespoons Shredded Japanese Seaweed (Nori)
Instructions
Uni Cream
  1. Add the cream and uni for the uni cream in a blender
  2. Blend until smooth and set aside
The Risotto
  1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat
  2. Add in garlic and stir fry for a few seconds.
  3. Add in the rice and stir fry for about 1 minute. Ensure that every grain of rice are evenly coated with the oil.
  4. Add in the wine and stir frequently for about another 3 to 4 mins, or until the rice absorbs the wine,
  5. When the wine are almost absorb, add part of the chicken broth (divide the broth into 5 parts) and continue to stir until the rice almost absorb the remaining broth. Keep repeating this step until the rice is al dente
  6. Add in the Uni cream and stir. Let the cream boil and reduce slightly before turning off the fire.
  7. Add in butter and stir until butter fully melted.
  8. Taste and season with salt if necessary
Finishing the Risotto
  1. Divide the risotto into 2 plates and carefully add 1 tablespoon of Uni onto each plate of Risotto
  2. Top with 1 tablespoon of Tobiko and Shredded Seaweed on each plate.
  3. Serve hot.

 


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