Japanese Miso Butter Shiitake Risotto

Method

1. Stir the dashi powder into the water in a 16 cm pot and heat over high heat for 6 min until steaming, then lower to low heat to keep it hot. Meanwhile, remove the shiitake stems and slice the caps 5 mm thick, pull the shimeji apart into small clusters (or slice button mushrooms 5 mm thick), finely chop the onion, and thinly slice the garlic and scallions.

   Add in this stepInstant dashi powder 1 tspWater 750 ml

   high heat→low heat

2. Heat half the oil in a wide 24 cm pan over medium-high heat. Spread out the mushrooms and cook for 5 min, stirring only now and then, until the water they release has evaporated and they are golden. Add the butter for the mushrooms and the soy sauce and toss for 30 sec until glossy and glazed. Tip them onto a plate.

   Add in this stepNeutral cooking oil ¾ tbspFresh shiitake mushrooms 6Shimeji or button mushrooms 100 gButter (for the mushrooms) 15 gSoy sauce 1½ tsp

   medium-high heat

3. Add the remaining oil to the pan with the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for 4 min, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add the rice and stir for 2 min until the grains are hot and translucent at the edges.

   Add in this stepNeutral cooking oil ¾ tbspOnion 60 gGarlic cloves 1Risotto rice (Carnaroli or Arborio) 160 g

   medium heat

4. Pour in the sake and stir over medium heat for 1 min until it has almost completely evaporated and smells sweet rather than boozy.

   Add in this stepCooking sake 60 ml

   medium heat

5. Add the hot dashi one ladle at a time, stirring often and adding the next only when the rice is almost dry. Keep a gentle bubble over medium heat. Halfway through, stir in half the glazed mushrooms. Cook for 17 min in total, until the rice is tender with a slight bite and the risotto is still loose.

   medium heat

6. In a small bowl, whisk the miso with a ladle of hot dashi until completely smooth. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the miso mixture, the cold butter and the cheese, and beat with a wooden spoon for 1 min until glossy and creamy. Miso added off the heat keeps its aroma. Taste: if it is too salty or too thick, loosen it with hot dashi rather than adding anything else.

   Add in this stepWhite miso (shiro miso) 1½ tbspCold butter (for finishing) 20 gParmigiano Reggiano, finely grated 20 g

7. Spoon into warm bowls and top with the rest of the glazed mushrooms, the scallions and a pinch of shichimi.

   Add in this stepScallions, thinly sliced 2 tbspShichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice) to taste