Curry Coconut Risotto

This risotto is so creamy and full of flavor! An easy Asian-Italian fusion dish if you have a bit of time and a real hit at the dinner table! Top it with parmesan cheese if you’re not vegan!

On a scale of one to ten, how much do you love a creamy flavorful risotto? I love it (and should honestly make it more often!). I mean, what’s not to love? One of the things that are so nice about risotto is how versatile it is. The last risotto recipe I posted was a Roasted Butternut Risotto. And as regards flavours, this one here is completely different. It’s still creamy and delicious, yet spicy with an Asian touch! So good!

I chose to make this one vegetarian (it’s actually even vegan if you omit the parmesan cheese added at the end). The reason is that two of our three boys have decided a few months ago to only eat vegetarian food! And since I try to make one (or a maximum of two) meal(s) for our family, it had to be compatible for everyone. Personally, I think it would be lovely to add some fried shrimp on top. Or some crispy tofu cubes. You know me and toppings… But it’s delicious as it is and was a big hit at the family dinner table.

As any other risotto dish, this one is a bit time consuming. I like frying the vegetables before making the rice as taking care of two pans can be a bit stressful otherwise. But that’s totally up to you! You can also make both parts at the same time and save some time like that. Making risotto is definitely a labor of love. It just takes time because you cannot add all the broth at once but have to give the rice time to absorb it bit by bit. But that way, the risotto will become creamy and soft and super delicious!

It’s easy to make this dish child friendly by adjusting the level of spice. My 5 year old doesn’t like spicy foods (yet) so when he’s eating supper (which he doesn’t always do) I omit the curry paste. Instead, I use ground turmeric so you have the nice colour and some of the flavor but no heat. Plus, he likes turmeric a lot. If I eat this risotto, I will add more curry paste than for when all of us eat it. So it’s great that by adding more or less curry paste, you can easily adjust how spicy it becomes.

Risotto is generally a creamy dish which is normally enhanced by adding butter and cheese at the end. In this case, the dish gets it’s creaminess from adding coconut milk at the end. And then freshly grated parmesan cheese on top of the individual plates (if you like). It’s like a fusion between Italian and Asian cuisine but it works really well. I added some basil on top but you could also add cilantro instead. Both work very well.

Will you make this for dinner soon? Or how about my Roasted Butternut Risotto?

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 50 min Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 4

Description

This risotto is so creamy and full of flavor! An easy Asian-Italian fusion dish if you have a bit of time and a real hit at the dinner table! Top it with parmesan cheese if you're not vegan!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Finely chop zucchini and bell pepper. 

    Heat up 1.5 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Fry the chopped vegetables at medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add salt. Put aside. 

  2. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a pan and heat up on medium heat. 

    Peel and chop the garlic cloves and add to the oil. Fry for 1 minute. 

    Add the risotto rice and toast for 2 minutes. Move the rice around with a spatula every now and then. 

  3. Add the curry paste to the rice. Depending on your spice level, add 1 or 2 tbsp of the paste. If you don't want it spicy at all but want the flavors and look, add 1/2 tsp ground turmeric instead. 

  4. You will need about 4 cups of liquid (broth) for the risotto. Add 1/2 cup of broth at a time and mix quickly with a wooden spatula. Don't stir again until most of the broth is absorbed. Then add the next 1/2 cup of broth. 

  5. In the meantime, chop cherry tomatoes. 

    When adding the last 1/2 cup of broth, add the cherry tomatoes as well. Stir and wait until the broth has been mostly absorbed. 

  6. Add coconut milk and lemon juice and mix. Add the fried vegetables and mix all together well. Add more broth or salt if necessary. The risotto should be creamy and soft with a tiny little bit of bite to the rice. 

  7. Serve immediately topped with freshly grated parmesan and fresh basil. Enjoy!

Note

Rice: Risotto rice is a specific kind of rice. I like using arborio rice but I've heard that carnaroli rice is also a great risotto risotto. 

Keywords: risotto, Asian Italian fusion, Asian risotto, curry risotto, coconut milk, vegan risotto, vegan dinner, vegetarian, curry coconut risotto, vegetables risotto, dinner,

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to follow me @the.spicypineapple and hashtag #thespicypineapple if you made this recipe :) I would love to see it!

Pin this recipe and share it with your followers! 

pinit
Recipe Card powered by WP Delicious
Andrea Epstein in her kitchen

Andrea Epstein

Hi, I'm Andrea, a full-time food blogger, mother of 1 wonderful son, 2 equally wonderful stepsons and wife to a darling husband. I live in Munich, Germany with my family. I loves traveling, sharing new recipes, and spending time with my family.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *