Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for beetroot risotto with curry leaf butter | The new vegan

I ate this risotto at Rupa Bodhani’s supper club last year, and barely came up for air between mouthfuls. That might not have been an problem if I had been with friends and family, but I was surrounded by new people on whom I probably should have made a better impression. The risotto base is rich, savoury, creamy and wildly pink, while the topping is fresh, sweet, hot and sour. In my opinion, it is a dish worth being antisocial for.

Beetroot and coconut risotto with curry leaf butter

Fresh curry leaves are well worth the hunt, because they offer both citrus and smoky notes. Buy them in Indian supermarkets and online; store any unused leaves in a tightly sealed container for another time.

Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 40 min
Serves 4

For the risotto
400ml tin coconut milk (minimum 60% coconut)
3 whole beetroot (about 700g)
500ml hot vegetable stock – I like Potts’
75g unsalted vegan butter
3 medium shallots (175g), peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1½cm x 1½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
Fine sea salt
350g arborio rice
5 tbsp marsala, or a similar fortified wine such as madeira, port or sweet sherry

For the topping
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
10-12 fresh curry leaves
1 green finger chilli, finely chopped
Grated zest of 1 lime, plus 2 tbsp lime juice

Pop the tin of coconut milk in the fridge, so the cream at the top hardens. Scrub the beetroot, put them in a large pan, add cold water to cover, then pop on a lid and bring to a boil. Boil for up to an hour, until tender, then drain, wash and slip off the skins.

Roughly chop 300g of the cooked beetroot (keep the rest for later), then put this in a blender with 500ml hot water and blitz smooth. Transfer the beetroot stock to a large pan and add the hot vegetable stock.

Melt 50g of the butter in a casserole dish on a medium heat and, when it’s melted and hot, add the shallots, garlic, ginger and a teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring frequently, for eight to 10 minutes, until the mix starts to turn golden.

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Add the rice, stir-fry for a couple of minutes, then pour in the marsala and let it sizzle away. Add the still-warm beetroot stock a ladleful at a time, letting the liquid reduce to almost nothing before adding the next ladle. Repeat until you’ve used up all the stock and the rice is 95% cooked. Open the chilled tin of coconut milk, spoon out the solid cream from the top and stir this into the rice (save the coconut liquid for a smoothie). Take the pan off the heat and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, dice the remaining beetroot into 1cm cubes. In a frying pan, melt the remaining 25g butter on a medium heat, then add the mustard and cumin seeds, the curry leaves and the chopped chilli, and leave to splutter for 30 seconds. Add the diced beetroot and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, stir-fry for six to eight minutes, then take off the heat and stir in the lime juice and zest.

Check the risotto for seasoning, and stir in a little more water to loosen, if need be. Distribute between shallow bowls and serve with a quarter of the spiced lime beetroot spooned over each portion.