Brown Rice Risotto

In 10 minutes flat, honest

Risotto is a marvelous dish, and one that requires a degree of skill to execute properly: satisfying to cook and eater alike. It also wants to be made with a particular kind of rice: short-grained and starchy, like arborio or carnaroli—or my current favorite vialone nano (all of which can be found in the Things on Bread Buying Guide). The version you see above was made with vialone nano, but in its unrefined brown form.

Brown rice risotto can be sublime. Apart from the nutritional superiority of brown over white rice, there’s a wonderful nutty complexity to the flavor that I adore. Brown rice got a bad rap as a hippie signifier back in the day, and it can be as joyless as any other grain when prepared apathetically. But it’s got a ton to offer if you understand its properties and lean into them. I’ve come up with a superbly easy way to make brown rice risotto that delivers the creamy texture you love along with the all the flavor and texture of the whole grain. If you’re in the market for an easy weeknight dinner that sacrifices nothing in the way of flavor or nutrition, then this is for you.

You can read an in-depth breakdown of my standard risotto method here. Also, before I forget, here’s a super-simple kitchen tip: always have a bag of peas in your freezer. A shake or two will add color, flavor, and nutrition to all manner of wintry soups, stews, and beyond—from risotto to mapo tofu. Peas freeze really well, and if you give the bag a squeeze to un-clump them they defrost as soon as they hit hot food. I grow my own, but store-bought are great too. The more you know…

Now on to the rice: