Dairy-free Pumpkin Risotto

This recipe takes the concept of traditional Italian risotto in a non-traditional direction with South Asian spices and pumpkin.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, Italian

Keyword broth, garam masala, garlic, ginger, pumpkin, risotto

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Stephanie Weaver

4 & 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced see note
2 cloves garlic see note
1-inch piece fresh ginger root (10g) minced
1 teaspoon garam masala either a no-salt-added store-bought version or Stephanie's (from the book)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup Arborio rice (235 g)
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (425 g)

Heat the broth in a saucepan on medium heat until simmering, then maintain a very low simmer as you continue with the following steps. (Motherwouldknow - see note on alternative method of heating broth)
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the shallot. Fry for 3 minutes, then add the ginger, garam masala, paprika, and the garlic and fry 2 minutes more.
Add the rice and cook, stirring about 2 minutes.
Ladle in about 1/2 cup of the hot broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any burnt bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir almost constantly until all the liquid is absorbed, then add another ladle full of broth. It should take 7 to 8 minutes to absorb about a cup of liquid. If it is taking a lot longer, turn up the heat just a little. If it is taking much less time, turn down the heat a little.
After about 30 minutes, when you have about a cup of broth left to add, add in the pumpkin and remaining broth. Continue cooking and stirring on low, uncovered, until the rice is tender. It should still have a loose texture.

Laura's notes

Instead of a pan, I used my 3 quart Le Creuset enamel-coated cast iron pot.
I am lazy and hate to wash multiple pots. So I microwaved my broth in a pyrex measuring cup (which can go in the dishwasher) on high for several minutes until it was steaming, During the process of cooking the rice, instead of keeping it on a low simmer, I periodically re-microwaved the broth to bring it back to steaming.
How big a shallot, a clove of garlic, or a knob of ginger is can be subject to great variation. I used about 35 g of shallot, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, and about 1&1/2 tablespoons of minced fresh ginger.
Try to use fresh garlic and ginger - the granulated and powdered versions just aren't the same. But if you must substitute, use this guide for garlic and this one for ginger.
If you don't know how to easily skin a fresh piece of garlic, check out my instructions here.
From the time I added the pumpkin until the rice was ready took me about 8-10 minutes. The time may vary for you.

Stephanie's notes

If you wish to use fresh pumpkin, roast a small pie pumpkin (350 to 450 g). the pumpkin should be roasted until tender, then peel and mince. Add 1 to 2 cups to this recipe in Step 6 in place of the pumpkin puree. Italian risotto would be cooked in Step 6 until al dente (having a slight bite to it). I prefer my rice a bit more tender.
Serving suggestions: Service with South Asian-Inspired Chickpea Masala and Curried Coconut Greens (both from Stephanie's book). Or include in a Holiday Menu (also from the book).