Braised Shiitake Shimeji Risotto

Why I Love This Recipe
A creamy Japanese-style mushroom risotto that will warm the heart.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup shimeji mushrooms, cleaned
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup mirin
½ cup sake
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter
14 ounces calrose rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 sprig scallion, finely chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
Chives, for garnish
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, grated
Directions
Rinse and clean mushrooms and trim the stems. Slice the shiitake mushrooms.
In a saucepan, mix the soy sauce, mirin and sake. Heat liquid on medium to high heat and bring to a light boil. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid reduces to half. Turn off heat and set aside.
In a large pan, heat the oil and butter on medium heat. Slowly sauté the onions and scallions for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that they do not brown.
Turn the heat to high, add the rice and stir. Add the mushrooms and remaining liquid. Stir. Add a ladle of vegetable stock. Stir again. Reduce heat to a simmer.
Continue adding vegetable stock, ladle by ladle, making sure that the liquid is fully absorbed after each ladle. Continue until the rice is soft but with a grainy bite.
Remove risotto from heat. Serve on individual plates.
Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan and chives.