I'm forever telling people to get an Instant Pot and this Risotto with Chorizo and Prawns is a major drawcard. The process is incredibly quick, without the hassle of standing and slowly pouring in stock while stirring. The result is a tasty, comforting risotto that beats anything you can get from a restaurant - honestly! The risotto is also gluten-free and dairy-free, with a cheesy flavour provided by our best umami friend, miso paste! The recipe is based on the technique from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt - I have adapted it to include the ingredients I love. It serves 4, however I have given suggestions in the FAQs if you need to serve 6 people.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Risotto is the ultimate comfort food
- Easy to make - none of the typical constant stirring usually required by risotto
- Restaurant-quality food in only 30 minutes
- Gluten-free and dairy-free, yet full of flavour
- Can be made in your Instant Pot and any similar multicooker, or stovetop pressure cooker
- Umami flavour without cheese (unless you want to add cheese)
- The amount of oil/fat in this risotto is less than you'd typically find, so it's a lighter risotto that still delivers on flavour
Ingredients you'll need
- Arborio rice
- Frozen peeled and deveined prawns/shrimp - jumbo or extra large size is best
- Chorizo
- Chicken stock - or you can get fancy and use prawn stock
- Dry white wine
- Cooking/kosher salt
- Dried thyme
- White miso paste (gluten-free if required)
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms
- Fresh garlic
- Brown/yellow onion
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Butter (if dairy is tolerated, otherwise use more olive oil)
- Optional - fresh parsley or crispy sage for garnish
- Optional - parmesan or pecorino if dairy is tolerated
Tips for success
- This is definitely a recipe where you want to follow the steps correctly to get the best results. Since it's such a quick recipe to make, there are no excuses for trying shortcuts!
- Don't set the Instant Pot and then forget about it - the pressure needs to be released immediately or the rice will overcook
- Don't let the risotto sit too long in the Instant Pot after it has finished cooking - after the pressure has been released, prawns added and you have stirred the risotto, it should be served straight away. It's definitely nicer when served fresh, although you can use it for leftovers.
- If you think you'll have leftovers, remove them as soon as possible from the inner pot so that the risotto stops cooking.
- You definitely need to use arborio rice, as others won't give the same result.
- Do not wash the rice, you want the extra starch on the rice to give the right creamy consistency to the risotto.
- The prawn tails sometimes detach if cooking them in the risotto in the residual heat after the 4 minutes is done. To prevent this happening, you can either cook the prawns separately in a frypan while the risotto is cooking or use prawns with tails removed. Prawns should not be added during the 4 minute pressure cooking period as they will overcook.
- If using super-sized fresh prawns, they may need to be cooked separately in a frypan/skillet to ensure they cook through.
- The risotto should still have some liquid when serving it - in the image I used for this recipe, the risotto was thickened up but traditionally it has more liquid. Use your judgement when stirring it after the 4 minutes is up as to how thick you prefer it.
FAQs
Yes, you can use more chicken stock, however it does need to be cooked down in the same way the wine is, otherwise the dish will have too much liquid.
The miso is in the recipe to give us the cheesy umami flavour without dairy. You can omit it if you like. If you are fine with dairy, you can grate some parmesan or pecorino into the risotto just before serving.
Yes, absolutely.
Some examples include Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris, Dry Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay.
Risotto is traditionally cooked on the stove and there are also baked versions. To convert this recipe to one of these methods, the most important considerations are the rice to liquid ratio and the method. I have not tested this recipe using either of these cooking methods, however I give suggestions in the Notes area in the recipe card below, based on trusted recipes I researched online.
You can use this method and the rice to liquid ratio/inclusions to make almost any other flavour of risotto that you like! If you're dairy-free, using miso paste really delivers on the typical cheesy flavour we all love in a risotto.
The recipe gives 4 generous portions and may stretch to 6 people by adding extra prawns and chorizo (there's already plenty of rice). In that scenario, I suggest cooking the prawns separately to ensure they cook.
If you're unsure - perhaps your guests have a big appetite - then multiply the ingredients by 1.5. The standard Instant Pot size of 6 quart (5.7L) will accomodate the larger amount.
Before we get to the recipe
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Instant Pot Risotto with Chorizo and Prawns
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot or another brand of multicooker A regular pressure cooker may also work but hasn't been tested
- 1 Chopping board and knife
- 1 frypan/skillet optional - speeds up the process a bit
- 1 Measuring cup and spoons
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 small bowl
- 1 large plate
Ingredients
- 2 chorizo links/sausages (200 grams/7oz)
- 12 medium-large fresh shiitake mushrooms (approx 200g or 7oz)
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (divided; use a little extra if needed)
- 1 ½ cups arborio rice (300 grams/10.5oz)
- 1 medium yellow/brown onion (or 3 French shallots/eschallots)
- 8 medium garlic cloves
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups low sodium/unsalted chicken stock or prawn stock (if using regular stock that's not low sodium/salt, then reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon)
- ⅔ teaspoon cooking/kosher salt (use ½ teaspoon if the stock is not reduced salt/sodium)
- 3 teaspoons white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 16 "extra large" peeled and deveined fresh or frozen prawns (choose either tail on or off depending on your preference; if using "jumbo" prawns use 12)
- fresh parsley or sage (optional - as needed, for garnish)
- pecorino or parmesan, grated (optional, if dairy is tolerated)
Instructions
- Prep the garlic, onion and chorizo. Peel the garlic and onion - mince the garlic, dice the onions. Slice the chorizo into ½ cm (¼ inch) rounds.
- Brown the chorizo. Set the Instant Pot to brown/saute. Once it is hot, add 2 teaspoons of oil to the inner pot. Cook the chorizo for two minutes on each side. If the pot gets too hot, turn it off briefly and cook on the stored heat. Remove the chorizo to one side of a large plate once cooked and leave the oil in the pot.
- Prep the mushrooms while the chorizo is browning - wash, remove the stem with a small sharp knife and slice. Place them on the plate with chorizo.
- To the inner pot, add the onion. If you turned off the Instant Pot, turn it back onto brown/saute. Cook the onions for 4-5 minutes while stirring, until they are a light golden brown.
- If using frozen prawns, you can defrost them in a warm bowl of water for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining oil to the inner pot, and then the rice. Coat the rice with the oil and cook while stirring for a few minutes. Look for the rice grains to be solid white in the centre and clear on the outside.
- Add the garlic and thyme, cook for another 30 seconds.
- Optional - heat the stock in the microwave until hot - this will bring the Instant Pot to pressure faster.
- Add the wine to the inner pot, keep cooking and stirring for a couple of minutes on the brown/saute setting until the wine has almost completely evaporated (the flavour is absorbed by the rice).
- Add the stock to the pot, stir well and then add the remaining pre-prepared ingredients on top, except the prawns and garnishes. Ensure all of the rice is submerged.
- Close and seal the lid of the Instant Pot/multicooker and set to cook at high pressure/manual for 4 minutes. Once it is done, remove the lid but keep the inner pot inside the Instant Pot/multicooker. If preferred, the prawns can be cooked in a separate frypan/skillet in a little oil while the risotto is cooking. Otherwise, they are cooked in the next step once the pressure cooking part is done.
- Turn the brown/saute function on. Add the raw prawns - if you didn't cook them in a separate pan - and push them down into the risotto. The risotto needs to thicken a little by cooking for 1-2 minutes while gently stirring with a wooden spoon. Ensure to scrape the bottom of the inner pot to prevent sticking. Turn off the Instant Pot, push the prawns down into the risotto again and set the lid loosely on top to finish cooking them - they are done when the colour has changed from translucent to pink and solid white.Your risotto should have some liquid - more than in the recipe photo - like a thick soup. So don't cook/thicken it too much at this stage.If you cooked the prawns separately, add them after the risotto has been stirred for 1-2 minutes - mix them in well.
- Serve immediately - garnish with parsley or sage if using and pecorino or parmesan if dairy is tolerated.If you think you will have leftover risotto - remove to a glass container so it doesn't keep cooking in the residual heat of the inner pot.
- Storage - Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on low heat in a skillet/frypan with a little oil. You can also use the leftover chilled risotto to make arancini balls - chop the chorizo and mushrooms finer to make it easier to form balls. Use any recipe you find online to make them.
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