Something radical happens on a certain day of fall. My body goes: no more cold food.
It may happen on the first day of fall (happy fall, everyone!) or on a random chilly morning. And when it happens, smoothies and cold soups, and yogurt snacks are out of my menu till spring comes back. And damn those warmer fall days when they come, because now I have lots of delicious chilly weather food leftovers and I am not going back.
It was such a chilly morning day, around 8:30 to be precise, when I made this risotto, which I share with you. You can have it on its own, accompanied by a protein of your choice, as a side dish, or even dessert, because it has that sweet-savory thing going for it.
For 6 servings:
4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
4 cups cooked Jasmine rice
2 tbsp ghee
1/2 tbsp cumin (ground)
1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp coriander (ground)
1/2 tsp turmeric (ground)
1/8 tsp hing/asafetida (you can replace with 2 cloves garlic if you don’t have it) – ground or if garlic, pressed
salt to taste
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Start by melting the ghee in a large pot. Add the fennel and mustard seeds and cook till fragrant. The mustard seeds might start to pop lightly so watch your eyes (no kidding, true story!). Add the ground spices next (cumin, coriander, turmeric and hing) and stir into the butter. If you are using garlic, crush and add now. Wait till the aroma of cooked spices develops, usually about 10-15 seconds.
Now it’s time for the sweet potatoes. Place in the pot together with 1/4 cup of water. Stir well. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 min. Now add the rice and stir in. Salt to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes. It’s time to add the walnuts and chia. Stir well, take off the heat and cover to rest for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve hot or cold, and enjoy! If you let this dish sit in the fridge overnight you will get two benefits – resistant starch will develop, aiding in digestive health and helping you balance blood sugar in the long run and the spices will change their flavor with time, so you will get a different flavor profile.
Have fun making this and let us know what you think!
Much love,
Galina
PS. For more great fall tips, check out my post: Ancient Wisdom for Your Fall Nutrition.