Sinigang and Risotto - Sinirotto?

This recipe is a result of sitting down in the sofa contemplating about life.

Not.

It is actually a fusion sort of recipe, inspired by a previous success of experimenting with risotto, and a Filipino dish called sinigang, which is (ahem, because wikipedia said so), "a Philippine dish famous for the variety of ingredients one can use as well as for its taste. Though considered a soup, it is not eaten as is, but rather combined as a viand with rice. Sinigang is typically sour and is most often likened to Thailand's tom yam.

Sinigang often incorporates stewed fish, pork, chicken, shrimp, or beef. Sinigang's characteristic taste is attributed to the ingredient that gives its sour taste, not to the meat's flavor. Meat is stewed with tamarind (which provides the sourness), green pepper, tomato, and onion." Vegetables that can be incorporated into the dish would be morning glory, radish, okra, taro, long beans or eggplant.

sinigang - from the archives!
shown here made with fish, long green chili and eggplants.
the souring agent is tamarind

It is an all-time favorite at home, very simple to cook (just boil the meat with tomato and onions, then add the souring agent, then add the vegetables, then serve hot!) and not very hard to enjoy either. It was made even simpler with the introduction of the powdered mixes which were both tasty and convenient at the same time. My personal choice of eating this dish would be to inundate a bowl of rice with the sour soup, still steaming from the pot, mash some taro with the rice, and slurp the thickened consistency of soups with heaps of vegetables.

So, with the familiarity of how to cook arborio rice, knowing its properties which make up a rick thick creamy consistency of a risotto, then why not make a risotto, sinigang style? Of course that addresses a personal choice!

ingredients, from top left to right

(serves 2)
200g arborio rice
5 pieces of okra, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1 small radish, peeled and halved... half is minced, half is chopped into circles
1 small onion, minced
5 pieces of fefferoni pepper, minced (similar to long green hot chili peppers) - decrease if you don't want it spicy
fish broth (homemade in this instance, made by boiling the remnants of a baked giant red snapper)
1 big basa fish fillet (or any white fish)
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash of fish sauce, to taste

Bring the fish broth into a gentle boil and poach the fish fillet for a couple of minutes, until cooked. Keep broth warm in low flame, take the fish out, flake half of the big fillet and set aside remaining half.

For the soffrito - heat olive oil in a heavy saucepan and add minced onions, peppers and minced radish. When the onions become translucent, add the rice and mix until coated with oil. Then add the broth, one ladle at a time, continue adding when the liquid is absorbed and stop when rice is al dente. Add in the rest of the radish, tomatoes, flaked fish, and a dash of fish sauce to taste (a common Filipino condiment used with sinigang). Serve with the remaining fish fillet on top and garnish as preferred.

shown here with alfalfa and onion sprouts..
best enjoyed with a glass of white wine!

Option for mantecatura (final step in making a risotto creamy) for this would be to add in some mashed boiled taro.... and it would have been one of those sublime fusion recipes that someone may have already thought somewhere on the web.