Roasted Pumpkin Coconut Risotto

Risotto is a great comfort food. A combination of Asian and Italian style infusing with heat from savoury spices. Its sunrise hue colours Pumpkin Coconut Risotto, and it provides warmth from within.

Ingredients ( Serve 2 ~ 3 )

• 150 g Japanese Short Grain Rice
• 500 ml Coconut Juice + Coconut 120 ml
• 1 Pumpkin
• 100 g Onion
• Fresh Mint
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 120 ml Sake
• 100 ml Water
• 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
• 1 tbsp Grated Shallots

Seasonings 

• 1 tbsp Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Fish Sauce

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 180ºC. Chop up the pumpkin to 8 ~ 10 parts or squash into about 2 cm Slices. Put it on a baking tray, drizzle over some coconut oil, then roast for 40 mins.

2. Coconut shell actually is very soft, open it using the end of chopper. Pour out coconut juice over a width mouth bowl and set aside.  Scoop out the the white coconut fresh with a spoon. Blend until smooth coconut milk, strain through a sieve over a set of bowl.

3. Cut the Onion in half vertically, rinse in the water and peel the skin.  Grasp the top with one hand and cut into about 1 cm slices vertically, leaving the top without cut to prevent slipping. Rinse again. Then cut it perpendicularly and diced onion is done.

4. Peel and grate shallots and ginger. Take out pumpkin from the oven and chop into cubes.

5. In a small saucepan, add sugar without water and simmer over low heat until sugar dissolved and caramelised.  Don’t stir the caramelised sugar. Remove from heat.

6.  Add gradually coconut juice into the caramelised sugar, be careful the sugar may split because is very hot.  Simmer over low heat until caramelised sugar melt into the juice, remove from heat. Add light soy sauce and fish sauce.

7. In the frying-pan, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil, add onions, grated garlic and ginger, sautéed for 5 ~ 6 minutes until onion become transparent.  Add rice, stir well until every single rice is coat with oil. Add white wine.

8. Add caramelised coconut juice at 3 times. Stir every now and then until it has all disappeared into the rice. Add roasted pumpkin. Carry on adding and stirring in a large splash of coconut juice at a time, until you have used up all the juice. This will take about 20 ~ 25 mins. Remember simmer over low heat and be patient ~

9. Check the rice is cooked. If it isn’t, add a splash more water, and carry on cooking for a bit ( 5 mins ) . Once the rice is soft enough to eat, gently stir in the mint or coconut milk if you like, ready to serve.