Sorghum ‘Risotto’ with Mushrooms & Walnuts
Ingredients
1 cup wholegrain sorghum
1 litre water
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped walnuts (pecans, almonds or pine nuts would be good too)
2 cups amakhowe wild mushrooms (or any other fat fleshy mushrooms), sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme
½ cup grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve (1–2 tbsp per serving)
salt and pepper
Cooking Instructions
Put the sorghum and water in a pot. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered with a lid, until just soft and the outer shell has slightly burst, about 45–60 minutes. Add more water if it boils dry. Drain, rinse and set aside. In a large pan, heat butter over low heat. Add the onion and the walnuts and cook slowly and gently until the onions are soft. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook gently until the mushrooms have turned golden brown, released their liquid and it has subsequently been reabsorbed or evaporated. Add thyme and cooked sorghum to the pan and warm through (this will take about 1 minute). Stir in cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with additional cheese on the side for sprinkling.
Tip: Amakhowe mushrooms grow wild in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. They have a delicious, rich, almost meaty flavor. Mushrooms in general have more protein than most other low-carbohydrate vegetables. They are also a good source of selenium and vitamin D.
About the Author
Anna Trapido is a food anthropologist who has an MA from Cambridge University and a PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is also a trained chef and author of the award-winning book ‘Hunger for Freedom: The Story of Food in the Life of Nelson Mandela’.
More About The AuthorMpho Tshukudu is a registered dietitian.
She holds a BSc Dietetics and a postgraduate diploma in hospital dietetics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is also a FirstLine Therapy practitioner and trained in Functional Medicine at the Institute for Functional Medicine. In her practice, she uses food and its nutritional compounds, stress management, sleep and exercise to promote optimal health.