Lazy Mushroom Risotto with Cauliflower and Peas

This vegan mushroom risotto recipe was developed in partnership with Yondu, the vegan umami seasoning sauce. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The New Baguette!

Risotto is one of those foods we usually only have in restaurants. It’s not hard to make, per se, but it does involve a fair amount of babysitting – i.e. constant stirring for 30 minutes straight. Not hard – just impractical… and potentially painful, depending on your level of upper body strength.

If you, too, are a fan of the cozy richness of risotto but want an easy way to make it at home, this lazy faux risotto is for you.

It starts out the traditional way, by sauteing onions, adding rice, and simmering it with white wine. In the classic technique, at this point you’d start to gradually add ladlefuls of hot broth and stir the rice repeatedly until it’s thick and creamy. But with my lazy technique, you can skip 95% of the stirring.

The first secret is to add your cooking liquid in just two batches and stir the simmering rice only every 10 minutes or so. The result: creamy, porridge-y risotto that’s practical enough for weeknight dinners and fancy enough for guests.

The second secret is Yondu, the all-purpose Korean umami seasoning that recently migrated here to the States.

Yondu is a condiment made from fermented organic and non-GMO soybeans, concentrated vegetable broth, and sea salt. (No freaky chemicals or preservatives!)

Think of it as an alternative to fish sauce, bouillon cubes, soy sauce, or miso. While it is salty and savory, it has a pretty neutral flavor so it works with any type of cuisine (unlike, say, soy sauce). Just a splash of the stuff adds the type of umami you’d expect from a dish that’s been simmering all day.

Yondu is a shortcut to well-rounded flavor in everything from stir fry’s and sauteed greens, to pasta and noodle dishes, to quick soups. (Head to their Instagram for more ideas!) In this vegan mushroom risotto recipe, Yondu lends the type of savoriness you’d get from Parmesan in a traditional risotto. It also eliminates the need for broth. Nutritional yeast steps in to help with that cheesy flavor.

If you wanna try Yondu for yourself, head to their Amazon store and use code 20umamiTNB at checkout for 20% off any sized bottle. (It ships with Prime! Code valid until Dec. 6, 2020).

The Rice

Risotto is typically made with arborio rice, a type of starchy white rice. I always prefer brown rice over white, since it has all its nutrients still intact (fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, etc.). Its high fiber content slows down the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream (preventing blood sugar spikes), making brown rice a healthier option all around.

For this faux risotto, look for short-grain brown rice, since it is chewier and starchier than long-grain.

Variations

I used regular cremini mushrooms for this vegan risotto since they’re the easiest to find. Feel free to switch these out for shiitake, maitake, oyster, trumpet, or chanterelle mushrooms (or a combo of a few) for an even richer flavor.

Cauliflower makes a seamless addition to this dish thanks to its matching color, though you could use lots of other vegetables, like asparagus, green beans, butternut squash, and even fresh corn in the summer.

Print