Make This Organic Black Rice Porridge Right in the Pot
Some foods are more sustainable than others, and our friend Brian Kahn at Earther tried to save the world by following a fairly strict, mostly plant-based diet. I help him with a few recipes because I love it.
As a reminder, the diet is based on the recommendations of a recent reportreleased by the EAT-Lancet Commission, which “outlines how we may need to change our diet to accommodate another 2.5 billion souls and a hotter earth.” Specifically, here’s what we’re working on:
As with any diet, making a large meal for a week can really save you time, and – given that Brian already had his fair share of problems throughout all of this – I wanted to give him a satisfying and satisfying recipe that warms up well and does not require much attention in the kitchen.
Since this diet is heavily based on grains, I naturally thought of the Instant Pot, which can be used to make risotto or risotto -like dishes with a little bit of the usual stirring. For the grain, I settled on forbidden black rice with corn, leeks, black garlic, and a gulp of miso. I didn’t think about this recipe being completely vegan – it just happened – and to be honest, I have no complaints. (However, if you or Brian wish to use some of your 250-gram dairy on hard, salted cheese, that’s your prerogative.) This is a hearty, warming umami stuffed dish that tastes as much (if not better) when reheated as fresh from the pan. This recipe has three servings, each containing 140 grams of vegetables, 107 grams of grains, 17 grams of butter, and 7 grams of miso beans. (I did not calculate the weight of the vinegar or broth because the amount of non-aqueous ingredients added seemed insignificant.) To do this yourself, you will need:
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 cup / 133 grams frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup / 70 g white leeks, cut into half moons
- 1/2 cup / 25 grams green leeks, cut into half moons
- 1 medium onion (about 314 g), diced
- 5 cloves / 12 grams black garlic (regular garlic can be added if you cannot find a fermented product).
- 1 cup 1: 3 diluted red wine vinegar (1/4 cup vinegar to 3/4 cup water)
- 1 cup forbidden rice
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon / 21 grams miso paste
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- Soy sauce to taste
Divide the leeks by separating the green section from the white, then slice each section vertically so that you can separate the leaves and rinse out any dirt that is hiding there. Cut both pieces into thin crescent-shaped ribbons and set aside 1/2 cup greens and a glass of egg white. Measure out a cup of frozen corn kernels and set them aside, then peel the onions, dice and set aside. Sprinkle each serving of vegetables with a pinch or two of salt and stir to coat.
Using the Easy Sear function in the Instant Pot, cook the leeks in one tablespoon of oil until bubbles and browns. Remove them from the pot and set aside. Add the white leeks and cook until soft and translucent – you may need to adjust Sauté to Less with the Adjust button – then remove them from the pot and set aside. Well. If your insert looks dry, add another tablespoon of oil and add the corn, cooking until the kernels are browned. Remove them, add more oil if necessary and fry the onions until translucent. Add the black garlic and mash it with a wooden spoon to make it look pretty and mix with the onion. (If you’re using fresh garlic, just chop and stir.) Add more oil if the pot looks dry, then add the rice and cook for four minutes. Remove the frosting from the skillet with diluted vinegar by scrubbing the bottom of the insert with a wooden spoon to dissolve all the delicious fudge.
Continue scrubbing and stirring until almost all of the liquid has evaporated (it should look damp), then add the miso and broth. Stir again, close the instant container (make sure the outlet valve is set to Tight) and press the Multigrain button. After the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to naturally release for five minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure. Open a saucepan, add corn and white leeks, then add nutritional yeast. Taste thoroughly and season with salt or soy sauce if necessary (this will largely depend on the flavor of the stock you use). If the porridge turns out to be a little liquid to your taste, turn on the “Saute” function for a while, cook and stir to thicken it. Garnish with sauteed leeks and enjoy.