While in no way a traditional flavor combination, this lovely warming risotto, packed with gochujang paste, is undoubtedly delicious. Sweet, spicy and loaded with crispy bacon and sharp parmesan, it’s a wonderful twist on a classic. Plus, any leftovers mean you have the perfect excuse to make cheesy stuffed arancini balls.
Gochujang paste – Korean fermented chili paste – is one of the most used ingredients in my kitchen. It forms the flavor base of Korean fried chicken and it’s sweet, spicy, SUPER savory and just an incredible ingredient that’s more versatile than you might think.
I’ve used gochujang paste in unconventional ways before (like this creamy gochujang pasta, gochujang potato salad or cheesy gochujang pizza pockets) so I figured it would work well in risotto, and it absolutely does.
Risotto tends to get a bit of a bad rap for being labor intensive (all that stirring), but I find it super therapeutic. You don’t have to stir it CONSTANTLY and it really doesn’t take long at all to cook. Pour yourself a glass of wine and have yourself a risotto night! Or, if you have an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, you can very easily make the risotto in that (this is a game-changer of a technique).
Ingredients
- Rice. You want to use short-grain rice to get the creamy texture of risotto – arborio rice is the most common, or you could use carnaroli. You can also use sushi rice.
- Gochujang paste. This sweet, spicy deeply umami Korean fermented chili paste is a powerhouse ingredient and one of my most-used. It adds a wonderfully complex flavor to the risotto without being overpowering. It’s becoming more widely available so you should be able to find it in the international aisle of larger grocery stores, or you can pick it up on Amazon, or if you’re lucky enough to have an Asian grocery store nearby, they’ll stock it.
- Chicken stock. Or you could use vegetable stock. Try to find good-quality stock, without a load of added ingredients, for the best flavor.
- Wine. Usually, white wine is used in risotto, but I’ve used rosรฉ here. You can use white wine though if that’s what you have. Or skip it for an alcohol-free version.
- Bacon. Streaky bacon is the best to use here (always use free-range). I love the smoky, salty flavor it adds to the risotto but you can skip it if you prefer a vegetarian risotto.
How to make it
Cook the bacon until super crispy, then remove from the pan and set aside. Cook the onion and scallions until soft, then add the garlic, ginger and gochujang paste. Cooking the gochujang in the pan like this helps it to caramelize and develop a deeper flavor. Add the rice.
Start adding the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, until the rice is al dente (cooked, but still with a bite to it). Remove from the heat then add half the bacon back into the risotto, along with the grated parmesan and stir so the cheese melts. Divide between plates and top with the remaining bacon, then drizzle with sweet chilli jam, the cashews and cilantro.
Got a question?
Risotto is generally best cooked and enjoyed right away – as it sits, the rice absorbs more liquid and can become a little soft. But, you can absolutely reheat leftovers and enjoy it – just add a splash of water or stock to loosen it up as you heat it either in the microwave or the stove-top.
If you’re making risotto for a dinner party, I recommend using the technique I learned at Le Cordon Bleu in London. Add roughly half the stock to the rice, then spread the par-cooked risotto out onto a lined oven tray (this cools it down quickly and prevents overcooking). Pop into the fridge, covered with clingfilm. Then, when you’re ready to serve, all you need to do is add the risotto back to the pot and finish adding the stock and it’ll be PERFECT.
It does have a slight spice kick, so if you’re worried, you can reduce the amount of gochujang paste to 1 tablespoon.
No! You can skip the bacon if you like.
How to make risotto in an Instant Pot
You can easily make this risotto in an Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker). Simply follow the recipe up until you start to add the stock, using the โsautรฉโ mode on your Instant Pot. Because no liquid will evaporate in the Instant Pot, youโll need to halve the amount of stock you’re adding.
Instead of adding a ladleful of stock at a time, add all of it, then seal your Instant Pot and set it on high pressure for 8 minutes. Use the rapid release (being very careful of the steam!)
Then all you need to do is stir through the parmesan and bacon, and serve as per the recipe. It will look a little liquidy when you remove the lid but donโt worry โ once you stir it and mix through the parmesan youโll find it thickens up perfectly. If it’s really not thickening, just pop the sautรฉ mode on and stir it for a couple of minutes.
Have any leftovers? Make cheesy stuffed arancini
There simply is no better way to use up leftover risotto! Arancini is delicious enough to warrant making risotto for
It’s as simple as:
- Form cooled risotto into balls – you can pop a piece of cheese in the middle if you like.
- Coat the balls in flour, egg and then breadcrumbs and either deep-fry for a couple of minutes until golden and super crispy, or pop into the air fryer (or oven) at 400F/200C for 15 minutes, with a good drizzle of olive oil, turning them over halfway through.
- Serve with spicy gochujang aioli and enjoy.
Like this recipe? Here are four more ways to use gochujang paste
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day ๐.
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Cheesy Gochujang Risotto
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
While in no way a traditional flavor combination, this lovely warming risotto, packed with gochujang paste, is undoubtedly delicious. Sweet, spicy and loaded with crispy bacon and sharp parmesan, it’s a wonderful twist on a classic.ย Plus, any leftovers mean you have the perfect opportunity to make cheesy stuffed arancini balls.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 pieces of streaky bacon, chopped
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons gochujang paste
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 6 cups hot chicken (or vegetable) stock, hot
- 1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated
To serve –
- Zest of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons cashew nuts, lightly crushed
- 1 tablespoon sweet chilli jam
- A handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. Heat the olive oil in a large, high-sided pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, and cook until lovely and crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate for now.
- Soften the onions. You can either drain the bacon grease or keep it (I recommend keeping it for the best flavor!) Reduce the heat to medium, then add your diced onion, scallions and 1 teaspoon of salt (and a little more olive oil if you’ve drained the bacon grease) to the pan. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the onion has started to change color (it’ll look more transparent) and has softened nicely. At this point, add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for another minute.
- Add the gochujang, rice and wine. Add your gochujang paste and stir it through the onions for a couple of minutes, to help develop its flavor. Then add your rice and stir so the grains are coated in the gochujang. Pour in your wine and stir as it bubbles up for another few minutes and the alcohol cooks off. At this point, you’re ready to start adding your stock.
- Add the stock. Pour in a ladleful of the hot stock, and stir it through the rice until it’s been absorbed. Add another ladleful, stir, then add another ladleful. Continue in this way until you’ve used most of your stock, and the rice is al dente (it’ll taste cooked, but still have a little bite to it).
- Garnish and serve. Turn the heat off, then add the grated parmesan and half the crispy bacon and stir it through the risotto so the cheese melts into it. Taste, and add a little more salt if you think it needs it. Divide the risotto between plates, then top with a drizzle of sweet chilli jam, crushed cashew nuts, a scattering of cilantro and the lime zest Enjoy right away.
Notes
LEFTOVERS? MAKE CHEESY STUFFED ARANCINI: You have everything you need to make the perfect little snacks if you have any risotto leftover. Simply form your cold risotto into balls (pop a piece of cheese in the middle if you like), then coat the balls in flour, egg and breadcrumbs.ย You can either deep-fry them for a couple of minutes until golden and super crispy or pop them into the air fryer (or oven) at 400F/200C for 15 minutes, with a good drizzle of olive oil, turning them over halfway through. I love serving them with gochujang aioli on the side.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS:ย The risotto will keep well for 3 days in the fridge. For the best texture, add a little water (or stock) when you reheat it (this will help to loosen it up). Reheat it until piping hot in the microwave, or on the stove top.
INGREDIENT NOTES:ย Gochujang paste is a sweet and spicy Korean fermented chili paste – you can find it in the international aisle at most larger grocery stores, Asian grocery stores or you can find it on Amazon. Skip the bacon if you want to make this vegetarian.
HOW TO MAKE THE RISOTTO IN AN INSTANT POT:ย Follow the recipe up until you add the stock, using the โsautรฉโ mode on your Instant Pot. Because no liquid will evaporate in the Instant Pot, youโll need to halve the amount of stock you’re adding (so use 3 cups). Instead of adding a ladleful of stock at a time, add all of it, then seal your Instant Pot and set it on high pressure for 8 minutes. Use the rapid release (being very careful of the steam!) Stir through the parmesan and bacon, and serve as per the recipe. It will look a little liquidy when you remove the lid but donโt worry โ once you stir it and mix through the parmesan youโll find it thickens up perfectly. If it’s really not thickening, just pop the sautรฉ mode on and stir it for a couple of minutes.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: rice
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 350g
- Calories: 461
- Sugar: 5.3g
- Sodium: 1006.1mg
- Fat: 14.8g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 61.4g
- Fiber: 1.4g
- Protein: 15.7g
- Cholesterol: 24.3mg
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