The long-awaited Japanese CREAMY Mushroom Risotto is finally HERE!
This mushroom risotto is rich, creamy, savory, and packed with umami flavors that will have you craving more.
I know risotto may seem intimidating, but we will make it easy with a few simple ingredients and some secret tips.
Are you ready for my vegetarian-friendly Japanese-inspired CREAMY Mushroom Risotto? Warning, you may need to make extra because it is THAT good.
I had Japanese Creamy Mushroom Risotto in Taiwan and FELL IN LOVE.
I already love risotto, but adding soy sauce, dashi stock, and using shiitake mushroom sold it for me.
If you like fusion food, this recipe is for you! I am using instant Dashi today, but you can also make dashi from scratch as well.
You can also add other types of mushrooms, such as shemiji and oyster mushrooms.
For those that are lactose intolerant, skip the heavy cream and use lactose-free butter and cheese instead.
There are so many alternatives when it comes to risotto that you can customize it based on your preference!
The key to making risotto is PATIENCE. It is a lengthy process that you cannot rush but trusts me; it is worth it. Here are a few tips to fail-proof risotto:
- Heat the Stock: heat your stock ahead of time; make sure not to use the cold stock as it will cool everything down, which can interfere with the cooking process.
- Use a Wide Pot: this will help everything cook evenly.
- Don’t Add Too Much Stock at Once: Add the stock in ladle by ladle; you don’t want to turn risotto into congee!
- Medium Heat: Don’t have the pan too hot as it can burn quickly and not too low as it will turn the risotto soggy. Medium heat is perfect!
- Don’t Over Cook It: You want the risotto to be al-dente (95% cooked), and don’t over-stir it!
Risotto is perfect for date night!
We paired it with my Miso-Glazed Salmon made in an air fryer for date night, along with my 3 minutes Instant Pot Creme Brule for dessert.
Not only is it more affordable to have a 3-course meal date night at home, but it also is healthier and tastes WAY better!
Quick Tip! If there are leftovers, you can add ½ cup of dashi stock while reheating the risotto, so it doesn’t become too dry and mushy.
Do you want more DATE NIGHT recipes? Here are some of my go-to EASY recipes perfect for date night!
- Instant Pot Creme Brulee (3 Minutes, 5 Ingredients)
- Creamy Corn Soup (Taiwanese Style!)
- The BEST Creamy Mango Sago – Only 4 Ingredients!
- Masago Udon (20 Minutes ONLY!)
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb of sliced Shiitake Mushrooms
- 1 Shallot minced
- 1.5 cup of Arborio Rice
- 6.5 cup of Dashi Stock
- ¼ cup of Sake (optional)
- 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- ½ cup of Heavy Cream
- Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp of Butter
- Fresh Chives
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese
- Heat 6.5 cups of Dashi Stock and set it aside.
- Without adding any oil, ad,d sliced Shiitake Mushrooms and 2 tbsp of soy sauce in a pan. Turn the heat up to medium and saute for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add in 2 tbsp of oil and add in minced shallots. Sweat the shallots for 1-2 minutes or until translucent. Finally, add in arborio rice and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in ¼ cup of Sake to deglaze and slowly pour in the dashi stock ladle by ladle. Start with ½ cup at a time. Let the rice sit for 20 seconds and; occasionally stir once the rice absorbs most of the stock, add in another ½ cup. Repeat this process until the rice is 95% cooked and all the broth is done (around 18 minutes) ** make sure to be patient **
- Once the rice is al-dente, add in ¼ cup of cream and black pepper to taste. Mix well and turn off the heat
- Add in cold butter, parmesan cheese, and fresh chives. Mix and serve immediately
Japanese CREAMY Mushroom Risotto
Materials
- 1.5 lb of sliced Shiitake Mushrooms
- 1 Shallot minced
- 1.5 cup of Arborio Rice
- 6.5 cup of Dashi Stock
- ¼ cup of Sake optional
- 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- ½ cup of Heavy Cream
- Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp of Butter
- Fresh Chives
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Heat 6.5 cups of Dashi Stock and set it aside.
- Without adding any oil, ad,d sliced Shiitake Mushrooms and 2 tbsp of soy sauce in a pan. Turn the heat up to medium and saute for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add in 2 tbsp of oil and add in minced shallots. Sweat the shallots for 1-2 minutes or until translucent. Finally, add in arborio rice and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in ¼ cup of Sake to deglaze and slowly pour in the dashi stock ladle by ladle. Start with ½ cup at a time. Let the rice sit for 20 seconds and; occasionally stir once the rice absorbs most of the stock, add in another ½ cup. Repeat this process until the rice is 95% cooked and all the broth is done (around 18 minutes) ** make sure to be patient **
- Once the rice is al-dente, add in ¼ cup of cream and black pepper to taste. Mix well and turn off the heat
- Add in cold butter, parmesan cheese, and fresh chives. Mix and serve immediately
Video
Notes
- Heat the Stock: heat your stock ahead of time; make sure not to use the cold stock as it will cool everything down, which can interfere with the cooking process.
- Use a Wide Pot: this will help everything cook evenly.
- Don’t Add Too Much Stock at Once: Add the stock in ladle by ladle; you don’t want to turn risotto into congee!
- Medium Heat: Don’t have the pan too hot as it can burn quickly and not too low as it will turn the risotto soggy. Medium heat is perfect!
- Don’t Over Cook It: You want the risotto to be al-dente (95% cooked), and don’t over-stir it!
Risotto with asian flavors (especially mushrooms) is literally my favorite thing in the world! I like to add grated ginger and garlic after toasting the rice and shallot in sesame oil, and toss in a little mirin before I start adding in the stock. Using dashi Is genius. I am gonna try that ASAP! I also sub the whites of scallions for shallots and use the green part for garnish. Since the creaminess of risotto comes from the starch released by constantly agitating the rice, cheating that with heavy cream is kind of a culinary faux pas. Not trying to sound like a jerk or anything. It’s just something that stuck with me early in my career. Anyways, thank you for reminding me to update my grocery list!
I made this again to serve under thinly sliced flank steak marinated in gochujang, lime, soy, toasted sesame oil, grated ginger, and garlic . I did use my previously stated “change-ups” and garnished with kimchi, furikake, green onion, and extra toasted sesame seeds. It was BEYOND amazing! Thank you again for this recipe! I can’t wait to check out your other recipes.
This is an incredible recipe! Soooo good. I don’t think I’ll ever make another kind of risotto again.
This recipe is bomb! It was just my husband and me so I cut it in half. I was able to find the Dashi Stock at my local Asian Market. I added some daikon micro-greens for garnish and served as a main dish.
We loved this. Will be making again.
Just made this, and it turned out so much better than expected! The umami flavor is surprisingly spectacular in combination with the cream, cheese, and chives, and I might fall in love with it soon. I used quinoa instead of arborio rice, and the substitution did not turn out to be a bad idea at all! Thanks for the recipe!
So good!
Recipe was easy easy to follow — definitely be patient when adding the stock.
I’m a first timer and saw this on Instagram and WOW this was soooo good! I was worried at first as my mushrooms produced a lot of water but I followed the recipe and the end result was fabulous. I live in Maine so I had to deal with a mix of button and baby Bella mushrooms as well as chicken stock instead of dashi stock (wish we had a better variety of ethnic foods) but it was still super good! Will definitely be using this as well as your other recipes. Thanks!
This recipe was sooooo good! Using the Dashi stock was a game changer. The Asian market is far from me and shittake mushrooms are expensive at the grocery store I shop at so I used mainly white mushrooms, some Bella, and just a little shittake. I also used more mushrooms than the recipe called for because I love mushrooms. For those looking for dashi stock, you can buy it on Amazon – search “Hondashi Bonito Soup Stock”. This is considered “instant” as it’s a powder you just add to water! (Maybe another revenue stream for you – an Amazon storefront with links to things you use in your recipes!). Thanks for posting!