The last time I made risotto was when I first came to Switzerland – it was a recipe that was strictly from memory; my Swiss Italian housemate in Australia made it and I watched. The outcome then was only average; while the taste was there, the rice was slightly undercook and there was just not enough of that cheesy flavour.

This time around, I decided to make it flavourful even though I was using smoked salmon as an added ingredient. Risotto can usually be eaten on its own and is traditionally made with Italian sausage or mushrooms but I thought to add this in since we have heaps of smoked tuna (gifts from the in-laws). I added a mix of two cheeses – Gruyère and Granna Padano (a lighter version of parmigiana cheese) – and a few strands of saffron for colour and flavour.

The result? Perfection, really. Not exactly traditional but good enough for a non-Italian cook! At least Nil loved it!

Smoked tuna risotto

Ingredients

Five handfuls arborio rice
Beef stock (at least 1 litres)
150 gms (or more) smoked tuna – thinly sliced
1.5 cups cheese
4 strands saffron
1 medium-sized onion – diced
6 tbsp Cointreau (or white wine)
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. In a pot, boil the beef stock (or water + beef stock cube) with the strands of saffron and allow to simmer gently.
2. In another pot, saute the diced onions in the butter and oil on a medium-high fire until soft but not brown. Add in the rice and stir until the grains are translucent. Add in the Cointreau or white wine and stir.
3. Gradually add in the beef stock-saffron mix while stirring constantly. Keep the mixture simmering and add more beef stock when necessary. The rice will absorb the stock as it cooks.
4. Cook for 20 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the stock.
5. Remove from the heat, and add in the cheese, tuna and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well and serve immediately.

The beauty about being married to Nil is that he enjoys a good helping of spice in his Asian dishes and being a Nyonya, I simple adore the presence of chilli – the hotter, the better. At one point, I would only take fried rice if it was served with a healthy dose of chilli!

So it wasn’t surprising when Nil started bugging me about making kerabu – the only actual kerabu he has ever tasted is of a different cooking style/culture – Indonesian or Thai. I thought I’d introduce him instead of Nyonya kerabu, specifically kerabu beehoon. The dish is simple to make and consist of herbs, honey lime juice, and of course, good old sambal belachan. We still had heaps left from the last time we made them so why not?

But then, I realized that we ran out of beehoon so instead, I substituted it with tanghoon. Tanghoon (starch noodles), more commonly known as mung bean noodles or glass noodles are usually used in a variety of Asian dishes such as spring rolls, soups and stir fries. Usually made from mung beans, they differ from rice noodles or beehoon in that when cooked, tanghoon has a transculent, clear appearance as opposed to the rice noodle’s white colour.

I also made some minor adjustments to the recipe since I couldn’t find any ginger flower buds (bunga kantan) but overall, I’d say that it turned out just right…and ultra tasty!

Kerabu tanghoon

Ingredients

200 gms tanghoon
300 gms prawns
150 gms bean sprouts*
2 stalks lemongrass – thinly sliced
3 tbsp sambal belachan
Lime juice from 2 limes
Salt & sugar to taste

* You can add more vegetables such as shredded cucumber and carrots to the dish if desired.

Method

1. Soak the tanghoon until soft. Bring a pot of water to boil and put in the tanghoon. Allow to boil for two minutes. Once soft, drain and rinse the tang hoon in cold water to prevent sticking. Drain and set aside.
2. Shell the prawns and steam to cook (you can boil but not too long). Once the prawns are cooked (they will turn pink), set aside.
3. Blanch the bean sprouts in hot water and rinse in cold water. Drain and set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the tanghoon with all the other ingredients and toss well. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
5. Serve with hardboiled egg, fried shallots and some fried bean curd if desired.