Oven baked asian mushroom barley risotto with edamame

Been quite consumed by mushrooms and their powerful nutrient qualities of late, having written a lengthy article for my submission for Well Being mag and whilst immersing myself in all of their wonderful properties I was prompted to cook a delicious asian inspired risotto using some barley on the shelf of my pantry. I imagine you could also use a risotto rice for this one, but the barley did add a beautiful nutty flavour to the dish.

Stay tuned for the article – coming soon!

OVEN BAKED ASIAN MUSHROOM BARLEY RISOTTO WITH EDAMAME

Serves 4

Dairy free : Vegan

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 medium (150g) brown onion, peeled and diced

200g flat mushrooms (approx 2 cups), cleaned and sliced

1 cup (22g) dried shiitake mushrooms

4 cups vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups (300g) barley, rinsed

1-2 teaspoons tamari

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups cooked edamame / soy beans+

Chilli flakes, optional to serve

Preheat oven to 180C. Heat an oven proof saucepan on medium heat on the stove top. Add oils, garlic and brown onion and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms, barley, and vegetable stock, stir, cover with lid and place in oven to cook for 30 minutes. Remove lid and cook a further 5-10 minutes or until there is a touch of liquid left to keep the dish moist and delicious. Stir through tamari, season with black pepper and sea salt and if necessary, top with walnuts and cooked soy beans / edamame and serve.

+You can buy edamame/soy beans from the freezer at the supermarket or asian grocer.