Inspired by the vegetable risotto recipe from Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, this risotto is a delicious pumpkin & carrot-themed dish to enjoy all autumn long!
This vegetable risotto uses both carrots and pumpkin, and it is so orange! The flavours blend deliciously well with the Arborio rice, herbs and spices. My partner and I ate the risotto with crispy fried tofu, and it was so tasty that we couldn’t help but go back for second servings.
Vegetable Risotto in Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom: Butter, Rice, Salt + Carrot or Pumpkin
Making risotto once again reaffirms for me that in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, Link is potentially actually trying to become some kind of master chef and maybe fighting is just something he really does to facilitate his mushroom and apple picking – or fortified pumpkins and swift or endura carrots, in this case.
Isn’t it kind of bizarre that the whole storyline of Breath of the Wild focuses on defeating Ganon and freeing Zelda, but really we spend 99% of the game running around, beating up lizards, collecting food, smashing rocks, looking for Koroks, shield surfing, blowing up skull forts, bowling with snowballs…. basically anything else except saving Zelda and defeating Ganon.
Even some of the speed runs don’t revolve around getting to the game’s final boss battle, but instead involve goals like seeing who can put a stick of butter on a dog the fastest. Yes, the speed run challenge for that exists and it does actually take some time!
So yeah, risotto is not the easiest dish to make, but I did my best to explain it below.
The constant supervision and stirring of the rice is why I think Link actually wants to be a chef.
He never speaks in the whole game, looks horrified every time he exits a memory, and doesn’t have anywhere near as much gumption for battle as Daruk, Urbosa or Revali.
Anyways, maybe the reason Link is so quiet is because he just wants to cook Mipha some vegetable risotto? Or did he have a change of heart after 100 years and want to make the risotto for Paya? I don’t know, but he certainly has the knack for some fancy recipes. What do you think?
The recipe for vegetable risotto in Breath of the Wild consists of a carrot or pumpkin, plus salt, rice and butter. I chose to include both carrot and pumpkin in this recipe, and it’s a pretty tasty combination. So, here’s the vegetable risotto recipe you can cook at home. Let’s go!
Pumpkin Carrot Risotto
A super tasty vegetable risotto, ready in 60 minutes or less! (Excluding pumpkin roasting time.) This recipe serves about four people. It pairs super well with crispy tofu for a delightful vegetarian dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 cups carrots, chopped
- 1 tsp herbs de Provence
- 1 ½ tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- ¾ cup Arborio rice
- ¾ cup dry white wine – Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc are great options
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Tools
- 1 large frying pan
- 1 medium pot
- cutting board
- knife
- vegetable peeler
- garlic mincer
- (optional) bowls for the prepped ingredients
- cooking spoon
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- cheese grater
- (optional) kitchen scissors, for cutting the fresh herbs
- only required if roasting your own pumpkin: Roasting pan, oven mitts, cooling rack, food processor
Directions
1. Wash, peel and chop the carrots and onions, grate the parmesan, and measure out the herbs and seasonings.
2. Warm up the broth in a pot over medium-high heat. Keep at a simmer on a different stove burner until required later in this recipe. The broth must be quite hot when you use it later in step 8.
How to roast a pumpkin:
Cut a hole in your pumpkin and scoop out the guts and seeds. Save the seeds and roast them separately another time.
Drizzle your pumpkin sections with olive oil and roast for 40-60 minutes at 400˚F on a baking sheet. It’s recommended to use a baking sheet (or even an old cake pan) that has some high sides in case any liquid comes out of the pumpkin.
Let cool, then peel off the outer skins of the pumpkin. Purée the pumpkin using a blender or food processor until the pumpkin purée has an even texture.
3. Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté.
4. Reduce the heat to medium, then add the sliced carrots to the pan. Allow to brown for 6-8 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper. Add the ginger, sage, parsley and herbs de Provence.
6. Add in the Arborio rice. Move the rice around in the pan until it begins to crackle and turns translucent, about 5-8 minutes over medium heat.
7. Add the wine and stir constantly until all the liquid is absorbed.
8. Incorporate the hot broth into the frying pan of rice, one ladle-full at a time. Stir constantly and allow the rice to absorb the broth liquid before adding the next ladle-full. This process takes about 20 minutes.
9. Add the pumpkin purée, maple syrup, and nutmeg. Stir gently, scooping up from the bottom of the pan.
10. Turn off the burner heat, but keep the risotto pan on the hot burner. Add in the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and the grated cheese. Give the risotto one last vigorous stir for 1-2 minutes. This will make it extra-creamy and allow the flavours to meld.
11. Transfer the risotto to your serving plates. Top with fresh herbs and more salt and pepper to taste. And that’s all! Enjoy your autumn dish of carrot & pumpkin risotto!
Tips
- Don’t wash the rice for this recipe. Arborio rice is often used for risotto, and the starch in the rice is what gives risotto its thickness. If you wash the rice, the starch will dissipate.
- Don’t rush the liquid absorption process. When incorporating the broth into the rice, allow the rice the time it needs to absorb the liquid – this step can’t be rushed or the risotto will not turn out quite right.
- Stir your rice constantly. The secret to a good risotto is to keep on stirring the rice so the starches are released. Don’t hurt your arm though, it’s ok to rest your hand for a minute or so, especially if you take that opportunity to have a sip of the extra wine!
I absolutely loved this risotto. If you’d like yours to have a bit more bite, add an increased amount of fresh grated ginger and garlic. Spices like paprika, coriander, curry powder and cumin would also pair nicely with this dish for an increased spice profile.
If adding these types of spices I would be prone to cut back on some of the dried herbs, like the parsley and sage. While they wouldn’t clash too much in terms of taste, the dried herbs might get lost in the mix and then it’s a waste of your herbs.
I should also mention that if it is your first time making risotto, error on the side of overcooking your rice as opposed to undercooking it. Eating uncooked rice can make you quite sick.
Taking a small taste of the rice 15-20 minutes of incorporating the broth will allow you to check its progress. If the rice is still a bit crunchy or chewy like eating a bread crust, let it cook another 5-8 minutes. If it starts to get mushy you’ll know you’ve overcooked it, and next time you’ll have a better idea as to how long risotto takes to cook with your pan on your stovetop.
Don’t despair if it doesn’t turn out perfectly the first time – risotto is not the most easy dish to make. But I promise you, it’s really tasty once you get it right, so please give it a try! I had to make risotto a few times before getting the hang of it.
I found the biggest difference happened for me when I measured out all my ingredients beforehand and organized them in groups based on when I needed to add them pan, as per the instructions.
Having everything pre-measured and sorted allowed me the freedom to just focus on the cooking process. It does require fairly constant stirring – the agitation of the rice grains – but it is so worth it!
Did you try making this pumpkin carrot risotto? Let me know!
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