Rice to the occasion

on the "right" risotto.

One of the most expensive risottos in the world "" on a room service menu, mind you "" that I've been reading about is a risotto of escargots. You may say ugh! or rave about the dish depending on your gourmet sensibilities, but one thing is sure "" it will be a while before anything like that makes its way from French boutique hotels on to our own luxury f&b tables.

For the moment, risottos are, at best, somewhat unfamiliar to Indian restaurant kitchens, at worst, akin to khichdi, often served up on buffet menus much to the horror of chefs like Luciano Parolari, deemed "King of Risotto".

A celeb chef from the Villa d' Este group of hotels who has fed the who's who of Hollywood amongst others, Parolari earned this sobriquet when his dish made quite an impact on the last pope, John Paul II, otherwise a sparing eater.

Parolari was in Mumbai and New Delhi recently, cooking up some elegant meals at the respective Taj Mahal hotels for members of the Chambers clubs.

But while Parolari held forth on what a risotto should rightfully be (the grains of rice should be intact and no cream to be added, unlike what many restaurants do in India), here are a few pointers to where you can get an exceptional one in the metros.

Chef Manu Chandra, quite the authority, and presiding over Olive Beach in Bangalore, says that risotto "" or at least one correctly cooked "" is something that Indians are uncomfortable with.

"Being a nation of rice-eaters, we are uncomfortable with anything that is, at least, perceived to be kachcha." What he means is al dente "" which is how the rice must be.

But to cater to Indian sensibilities, Chandra and fellow Bangalore chef Mandaar Sukhtankar of Italia at the Park have arrived at a happy compromise of cooking rice just a little more than what you would in Italy but a little less than in India; which is to say that it's not overcooked.

Both the chefs also suggest that the final preparation should be "flowy" when served in a flat plate, not lumpy. While the best way to do it may be to start right from scratch, adding stock in stages, white wine and topping with Parmesan and cold butter, many restaurants do it another way by pre-cooking the rice but arresting the cooking so that an order can be made ready in just 5-7 minutes. But here, warns Sukhtankar, care needs to be taken not to agitate the grain or it'll break.

The chef should know "" he is famous for his annual risotto festivals that happen every March (this year, from March 28). Apart from surprises such as risottos of squid ink, scuttle fish and shrimps or apple and artichokes, or even ones spiked with Campari or flavoured with Mascarpone, there are some sweet offerings on his menu.

How about a chocolate truffle risotto? On the regular menu (Rs 400 onwards), you can try out the scallops, crab meat and white wine one that's a big success. Or, try the baby lobster risotto at Olive Beach.

This one uses lobster bisque as the liquid medium while chef Chandra says that the secret to his wild mushroom offering, also an all-time favourite, is the in-house mushroom powder sprinkled at the end.

In Delhi, apart from what Parolari cooked up for us some days ago, another visiting chef is Vincenzo Di Tuoro, a consultant with the Hassler Roma Hotel and II Palazzetto in Rome. Tuoro has also been associated with prestigious places such as Gordon Ramsay and Latium and is visiting Travertino at The Oberoi, one of the country's poshest fine-dines (and its most expensive).

While sticking to the basics of traditional Italian, what the chef tries to do is play with presentations and combinations and introduce a hint of newer flavours. For instance, he mentions a black pepper chocolate mousse on his menu in Rome and the degustation menu at Travertino (Rs 3,100) includes a course of risotto with pesto (that dots the rice), wild mushrooms and goat cheese (that tops the rice).

What impresses me most, however, is another dish that the chef mentions "" a quail and balsamic risotto. Instead of white wine that most recipes suggest (there are some incredibly detailed ones too specifying only Chardonnay) or even appropriate red wine, Tuoro suggests a substitution in balsamic vinegar; true to the spirit of Italy, its sweetish taste complements the dish.

The chef also reveals his secret to the perfect finish: the rice must cool for a couple of minutes before the cold butter and Parmesan is stirred in and sometimes chefs even put it on water and ice; the kind of thing you'd do while beating cake batters in tropical weathers.

In Mumbai, I'd suggest, you go to the Salt Water Grill for innovative takes (Rs 410-550). The new menu here (as well as at the Smoke House Grill in Delhi, sister restaurant) is going to be introduced this month and apart from the likes of their signature four cheese risotto, you can try out a very Indian lemon and turmeric risotto that executive chef Viras has come up with! Lemon rice? Not quite.

If you are trying out a recipe at home, on the other hand, do so with Arborio rice, high in starch from which the creaminess comes (Carneloni is a superior rice variety but difficult to buy in India) and not some south-Indian parboiled variety.