FFT: Sloppy Tomato and Carrot Risotto with Doubanjiang and Sage

Sage and ghost pepper sharpen the edges of this risotto, cutting through the natural sweetness of tomatoes and carrots. Carnaroli rice absorbs the umami flavours from Doubanjiang, stock, and tomato paste, held together with olive oil and a dash of grape vinegar. Nuts for a bit of crunch as an optional garnish. 

P.S. A bit sloppy because I used the entire recipe for 1 serving!! And look at the gross fork!! Urgghh!! Rump!

Time to arse about!

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 160g Carnaroli rice
• 125g cherry tomatoes, whole (set aside 4 for topping)
• 125g carrots, chopped
• 15 dried sage leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 15mg Ghost Pepper (adjust to taste)
• 1 level tsp vegan stock powder
• 1 level tsp Doubanjiang (optional)
• 1 level tsp tomato paste (2 if you skip the Doubanjiang)
• 1 tbsp Grape Vinegar (2 if you skip the Doubanjiang)
• 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• Water (as needed)
  
• Optional: 3 Brazil nuts, chopped ad-lib; 5 walnuts, quartered. 

Nutritional Info

Nutritional Profile:
Energy: ~1,350 kcal | Carbohydrates: ~145g (Carnaroli rice, carrots) | Fats: ~75g (EVOO, optional walnuts/Brazil nuts) | Protein: ~19g | Fiber: ~8g. Key nutrients: beta-carotene (~1,600% RDA, carrots), omega-3 fatty acids (~1.8g ALA, walnuts), and magnesium (~30% RDA, nuts/EVOO).

Health Benefits & Conditions:
High fiber from rice and carrots stabilizes blood sugar (beneficial for type 2 diabetes); magnesium and monounsaturated fats (EVOO) support hypertension management; omega-3s (walnuts) and EVOO's antioxidants reduce cardiovascular risk. Beta-carotene (carrots) aids immunity and vision.

Instructions

1. Prepare the garnish & topping: Roast 4 cherry tomatoes until the skin is moderately charred, but avoid allowing wrinkles because that's close to bursting. Dry-roast the walnuts and Brazil nuts until they are browned or slightly charred. Set all these aside for later.
2. Prepare the stock: Crush the sage, garlic, and ghost pepper with a mortar and pestle. Sauté in a saucepan with 1 tsp EVOO (about 5 sprays from an oil spray bottle) for 30 seconds on medium heat or up to 1 minute on low. You can add a splash of water, about 1 tbsp, to ensure the garlic and pepper don't burn. Then add the doubanjiang and tomato paste and saute for 3-5 minutes on medium heat. Now, add the carrots, the vegan veggie stock, and 1 tsp of EVOO and roast until the carrots are slightly charred. Finally, add about a litre of water, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low (85-95C) and let simmer.
3. Toast the rice: Stir in the rice with 1 tsp EVOO and roast for 5 minutes until slightly translucent or, if you like what I do, until it gets browned but not burnt.
4. Simmer to the right consistency: Toss in the grape vinegar and the cherry tomatoes (remember to set aside a few for garnish first) and cook while stirring continuously until the vinegar is absorbed. Gradually add the stock, typically about a half cup at a time, stirring continuously for the first 5-10 minutes, then intermittently until the rice is al dente and add more stock when it starts looking dry.
5. Rest: Let the risotto sit for 2-3 minutes
6. Plate & complete: Plate the risotto. Garnish with dry-roasted nuts, top with roasted cherry tomatoes, and finish with 1-3 tbsp of EVOO before serving and a bit of freshly milled black pepper.

Tips

• Carnaroli rice, often called the "King of Rice", is excellent, but Arborio, which is more common and cheaper, works very well. Any round and stout-grained rice that releases a good amount of starch will work because that's the key to a creamy risotto. The longer and thinner varieties are generally not recommended because they don't release enough starch and have an unsatisfying "bite" when al dente.
• Stir continuously during the first 10 minutes and intermittently but frequently after that because this is what makes the rice release more starch and also makes the rice more flavourful since the heat, liquid and stirring make the starch expand and rupture the outer protein wall of the rice grains (to be released) and thus allow more of the stock and other ingredients to be absorbed into the grain.
• Toast the nuts and roast the tomatoes before you cook the rest of the recipe or simultaneously, i.e., in between stirs. Toasted nuts are better after they've cooled, so don't do it after or too close to finishing the risotto. 
• The freshly ground black pepper used at the finish made a positive difference. However, the toasted nuts didn't seem to help and may have damaged the flavour profile slightly, but they added texture, so I'm on the fence about the nuts. Then again, that's just my palate and opinion.
• Always try to use the best quality EVOO you can afford. If you're up for it, you can even try a little -- no more than 1 tsp to start with because it's much stronger in flavour -- EV Pumpkin Seed Oil; I'd recommend Kurbishof Koller's EV Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil. It's excellent, and, although expensive, it can easily last a year or more for one person because you only use it for topping or garnishing (NEVER for cooking) and in smaller amounts than EVOO since the flavour is much stronger.

Notes

• I overfilled my plate because I often eat 2 typical restaurant servings as one. Try to be tidier than I was!!
• I browned my rice while toasting but you don't have to. Don't burn it, though!
• The "cream" is starch released by the rice, and I prefer to call it a "starchy" risotto because it feels right, but I humbly bow to the masses' preference in the post. I associate cream with desserts and cheese.
• I used dried sage because that's all that was available. You can try fresh sage if you have access to it. 

P.S. My friends thought my last post (the finished dish looks like puke or "Ostrich Diarrhoea" and one acquaintance said it looks (or maybe sounds) "fancy": what do you think?