We’re just past the half-way point of Veganuary and some people might have used all their new year’s inspiration – so we thought we’d offer a helping hand with an idea for how to use beer in your vegan cooking.
Before we get stuck in, remember that not all beer is vegan – take a look at our post from a couple of weeks ago for the reasons why that is – but also remember that ALL Beerblefish beer is vegan and we’ve pledged to keep it that way.
So, who’s up for a risotto? For those new to a plant-based diet, forgoing the lashings of butter and parmesan that typically go into this classic rice dish can be a tough sell, so we decided to see if beer can help. The answer is a resounding “YES”. As we’re trying something new here, we think we’ve got Veganuary and Tryanuary covered in one dish!
Here’s our recipe for Vegan Beery Mushroom Risotto:
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: about 30 mins (and requires constant attention!)
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped (we used one red and one white)
- 2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 300g carnaroli risotto rice (or you can use arborio)
- 500ml bottle Beerblefish Lager (you can use any vegan beer you want, but we suggest using one that’s not too bitter and not too hop forward. It’s also important that it’s bottle-conditioned – we want those yeasts in there!)
- 500ml vegetable stock using your favourite stock cube/pot, etc., made according to pack instructions
- Dash of dark soy sauce
- About 350g-400g mushrooms, roughly chopped (we used 120g oyster mushrooms and 240g white mushrooms)
- ½ tsp garlic powder/granules
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
Method:
1. Put the stock in a saucepan on the hob and bring to the boil, then simmer gently with the lid on.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large (preferably non-stick) frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, then the garlic and fry gently for 3 or 4 minutes until slightly softened.
3. Add the rice to the onions and garlic and fry for another 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
4. Take a swig of the beer to make sure it’s the right one, then add half the bottle to the rice mixture. Keep stirring!
5. When all the beer has been sucked up by the rice and the mixture is starting to get stiff, add a ladleful of the stock; and keep stirring.
6. When the stock has been absorbed, keep adding alternating splashes of beer and stock each time the mixture becomes stiff. Keep stirring.
7. As you put the last bit of beer in, make sure you get the sediment out of the bottle and into the pan – the yeast contains some valuable B vitamins, a teeny bit of protein and a whole load of umami (savoury taste).
8. Add the mixed herbs and stir them in.
Note: If you’ve used all your stock and beer and the rice isn’t cooked yet, add a bit of boiling water at a time, still stirring, until the rice is cooked – this shouldn’t be necessary, but it does occasionally happen.
9. Turn off the heat under the risotto.
10. In a small frying pan, heat the remaining olive oil, then add the dash of dark soy sauce. Add the mushrooms and the garlic powder or granules and fry them until the mushrooms go golden brown.
11. Mix the mushrooms into the risotto and serve immediately!
We hope you enjoy your risotto – let us know how you get on and use #beerblefish to share your risotto pics with us!
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