Turmeric and Brown Rice Risotto

This dish is healthy, but you wouldn't know it. With fresh turmeric, a decent hit of pepper and some honey, things were set in motion. I thought it was a gamble - it really was cooking on the fly. But it paid off. Balanced out with some delicious chicken rubbed in pimenton, salt, pepper and marjoram. Just delicious. Let's get going.

Ingredients

For the Risotto

500g Brown Rice

2 Inches of Turmeric, Grated

3 Onions, diced

1/4 Cup of Lemon Juice

5 Cloves of Garlic Cloves

2 Green Capsicums, sliced

10 Button Mushrooms, halved and roughly sliced.

3 Teaspoons of Oregano

2 Teaspoons of Marjoram

Olive oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

Salt

Pepper

1/2 Cup of Pumpkin Seeds

1 Teaspoon of Manuka Honey

1/4 cup of Cream or 1 Tablespoon of Cream Cheese

1.5 Litres of Chicken Stock

! Bunch of Watercress

For the chicken

5 Chicken Thighs

2 Teaspoons of Smoked Pimenton

1 Teaspoon Dried Marjoram

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Method

Preheat oven to 190 C.

Mix chicken with the pimenton, marjoram, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and a lug of olive oil. Set aside.

Now we get started on the risotto. The cook for this is just like a normal risotto. Brown rice doesn't work into a creamy texture like good old aborio rice does. Brown rice needs to cook longer, but the cream cheese thickens the sauce.

In a pot, gently heat the chicken stock on an element.

Put the onions in a large stock pot with the butter and a couple of lugs of olive oil. Add the garlic, turmeric, oregano and marjoram. Stir frequently, saute until translucent. Add the honey and lemon, mix that through.

Next, add the rice, and fry the rice off so the rice absorbs all the butter and oil. Just before it begins to stick, add the first ladle of chicken stock. Stir it through, stir frequently. Add the mushrooms and capsicums.

As the stock begins to dry up, add another ladle. Repeat the process until you finish the stock.

When you're about two thirds of the way through the risotto, put the chicken on an oiled oven tray and bang it in the oven.

Try the rice. I am almost certain that 1.5 litres of stock won't be enough! Finish the process with warm water.

Once it's tender, add the cream or cream cheese. Stir through until creamy. Reduce the sauce if necessary, add a little more liquid if needed! Salt and pepper well.

Once chicken is done, remove from the oven. Serve with pumpkin seeds on a bed of watercress.

Enjoy!