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One Last Curry (For Now)
After reading through Iyer’s “660 Curries” the last couple of weeks (and that’s just enough time to skim the bloody humongous book!), I got inspired to try my hand at a dish. I was mulling over how to make it novel or unique when my daughter (the inscrutable chefette Jessica) said, “Why not try a risotto?”
I hate it when they’re brilliant like that.
Indian-Italian food! Maybe it’s worth a try, I thought Before jumping in I decided to do a little research. I found a few curry-risotto pairings, but surprisingly little. At least it surprised me, since rice goes so well with most entrée curries.
Then again, risotto is often considered a “restaurant only” thing, and it’s only recently that the dish has started showing up in home kitchens. Why? The rice; you need short-grain rice, and Americans have been inculcated indoctrinated brainwashed into believing that long-grain white is the only rice you need.
Wrong answer! (Thank you for playing; please drive through. Next!)
Long-grain white rice holds onto its starches very well, leaving a fluffy, less sticky bowl of kernels; the ideal for American home cooks. However, a risotto gets its creamy texture from starch released into the broth during cooking; just the opposite! Risotto doesn’t get sticky, as it isn’t cooked to dryness (hopefully).
Look for Arborio rice or one of the other fine varieties. They’re precious, though; at least my grocer thinks so, based on the prices they label the small containers with. Here’s a better way: Go to a bulk-products or organics store and buy from the bulk bins. Usually it’s the same quality rice, at about a third the cost.
Back to the kitchen! We planned a simple yellow curry, essentially a chicken stew. The risotto we also envisioned as simple, using chicken broth. The meal took about an hour to plan and build, and it was Oh So Delish! Here are the details. I suppose this means we’re now officially Indian-Italian Fusion cooks.
I’m almost afraid to let the secret out, because everybody will want some…
Enjoy the (Home-Cooked Curry Risotto) Heat!
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