Alternative to arborio rice?

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

Hi all,
I love making risotto but find it difficult to buy the proper risotto rice. Even in my nearby big Mr T it is not always in stock and they only sell smallish bags any ideas for an alternative?

TIA

Lady_Aitch

saw a recipe the other day for risotto using pudding rice!!! Maybe you would get bigger bags in an Italian deli.

thriftlady_2

Have you tried barley? It's called orzotto when you make it with barley. It isn't quite the same as you don't get the creaminess you get with properly made risotto. It is a lot cheaper too;)

Pudding rice works, although that can be more difficult to find than risotto rice sometimes.

Try ordering risotto rice in bigger quantities from an online supplier.

sunshinejoclaire

I just googled Arborio Rice on the UK part of google, and this thread is already 6th on there, despite being posted yesterday!

Ily

It's not the easiest of situations in that risotto is not an easy dish that is easy to make 'on the cheap'. The problem is that risotto does not involved boiled rice but rice that is cooked together with the 'sauce' in a minimal amount of liquid (stock etc). Because the amount of liquid must be kept at a minimum, the risotto needs a copious amount of stirring. Herein lies the problem because if you use a rice that is not meant to undergo that kind of treatment what will happen is that as the rice cooks, all that stirring will turn your grains into a mushy concoction, more like a thick soup than a risotto.

If you do not mind a mushy end result, then by all means use whatever type of rice you can find in the supermarket - the cheaper the better I'd say!

If, however, you want a risotto with the proper texture and 'bite', you must select a rice with fat, thick, whole grains (by whole I do not mean wholegrain but whole as in 'not cut' -some pudding and sushi rice grains are split in 2). The rice, in other words, should be able to withstand being cooked for a relatively long time and being vigorously stirred without disintegrating.

There are 3 types of rice that are able to withstand this cooking process:
1) Arborio (but you know that already!)
2) Vialone and/or Vialone Nano (I haven't cooked with this myself but last year I was lucky enough to dine at the 'kitchen table' within Claridges and I saw that the chefs there used Vialone Nano for my truffle risotto)
3) Carnaroli (this is the king of risotto rices, and unfortunately very expensive too. It is very good because it takes a bit longer to cook than the other two -whatever the cooking times on the packet may say- and so it is able to absorb a very high amount of 'sauce'-flavouring.)

I haven't made risotto in a long time but I remember finding all 3 types above in the supermarkets (I think Tesco used to keep its Carnaroli in the Cook's Ingredients' section). Even so, these are expensive rices, without a doubt.

So, my suggestion will be this:
first off, decide how important is the texture and bite of your risotto. If this is not important for you, then just go for a cheap rice -watever special offer you can find. If, on the other hand, you like the texture of proper risotto, I suggest you do as Thriftlady suggested and find an online supplier who will sell in bulk. Rice will keep forever anyway, provided you keep it dry and sealed, so even if you order a large quantity there is no reason why it should go to waste.

Good luck, and let us know if you find any good deals! :j

ginvzt

Don't know, but Tesco, Sainsburys andeven Asda has plenty of Arborio rice around me. In Tesco and Asda it is even cheaper than standard Italian rice at Sainsburys (which Tesco stopped selling for some reason). I have just stocked up with Arborio rice on Sunday - 90p for 500g bag, whilst Sainsburys were selling their Italian rice at £1.90 for 1kg.

(My OH is Italian, and we make risotto regularly, I think we are making it tomorrow night again! - pizza tonight)

frivolous_fay

I don't have any trouble finding arborio, but it does bug me that it only comes in puny little packets. I bought a vacuum pack in Italy once but I'd be interested to know of a good bulk supplier. (I can't get to asda)

I have a recipe for a sort-of risotto that uses barley. Might be worth an experiment?

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

Thanks for all the replies, it's very annoying that it can be a pain to get hold of, maybe I've just picked the wrong days.

I would cook it alot more because - it's a winner with the kids, I can put lots of veg in, and also it's very quick. It's one of those dishes which ticks all the boxes (apart from calories).

greenbee

thriftlady wrote: »

Have you tried barley? It's called orzotto when you make it with barley. It isn't quite the same as you don't get the creaminess you get with properly made risotto. It is a lot cheaper too;)

Pudding rice works, although that can be more difficult to find than risotto rice sometimes.

Try ordering risotto rice in bigger quantities from an online supplier.

I LOVE orzotto

I also make risotto-type dishes with millet or quinoa. Texture isn't the same, but the principle of cooking everything in with the grain and some stock is.

floss2

I understand the gripe about it being hard to find at times - our local Tesco stopped selling it a while ago unless you bought the "instant" risotto things - yuk! They are now selling it again, but I tend to buy it 2 packets at a time to ensure I always have some in!

ginvzt

floss2 wrote: »

I understand the gripe about it being hard to find at times - our local Tesco stopped selling it a while ago unless you bought the "instant" risotto things - yuk! They are now selling it again, but I tend to buy it 2 packets at a time to ensure I always have some in!

Maybe OP went to Tesco after us on Sunday, as we bought all that were on the shelves - mind you, it was only 5 packs... I intend to do the same next time I do my weekly shopping - we have plenty of storage in the garage...