Ivan Brehm does it again!
by Tok Yui Shuen
@ 08 May 2015
Chef Ivan Brehm has won yet another award at the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence. Head Chef of Bacchanalia, winner of the Acqua Panna & S.Pellegrino New Restaurant of the Year at WGS 2014, Chef Brehm managed to beat out 5 other top chefs to become the Kitchenaid Chef of the Year in 2015.
Keen to follow in his footsteps? Here's one of his own:
Turkey Risotto
By Ivan Brehm
Serves 6 to 10
Ingredients
700g simmering chicken stock
One tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
250g carnaroli rice
50g diced shallots
one clove garlic, minced
400g shredded Roast Turkey Meat
Chopped pulp of 12 to 15 soaked and cooked buah keluak nuts (soak it for at least three days in several changes of water and boil for one hour)
100g unsalted butter, cubed
60-80g parmesan, grated
Salt to taste
Fresh cranberries or cranberry jam for garnish (cassis or black currant are good alternatives)
30g currants (soaked in your choice of bourbon)
Method
1. In a medium hot pan, sweat the rice in olive oil until fragrant (be careful not to colour the rice).
2. Add the garlic and shallots and sweat them until translucent.
3. Add ¼ of your simmering chicken stock, making sure the mixture returns to a low simmer.
4. Stir occasionally and carefully, incorporating the next ¼ of stock once first batch has evaporated.
5. Repeat until most of the stock is used. Check rice for doneness before adding the final ¼ of stock.
6. Add the turkey meat, keluak pulp and remaining stock depending on rice doneness.
7. Reduce till desired consistency is reached (good risotto should not be stodgy or stiff, but creamy, smooth and silky. The consistency should be almost that of rice surrounded by its own sauce, so make sure to control how much stock you evaporate.)
8. Fold in butter and parmesan. Season to taste and serve straight away garnished with the fresh cranberries and currants.
A Note on Keluak Nuts:
Although delicious, and high in vitamin C, the fruit from the Pangium Edule plant is poisonous, and is only neutralized after thorough soaking in several changes of water and thorough cooking (one hour in boiling water does the trick).
