grated carrot risotto

So I've decided. No more writing long detailed entries about how I made dinner on my Japan blog.

Instead, I'll write them here.

Today I decided to start using my carrots. I grated one in the morning. It weighed 300 grams (that's 2/3 of a pound). So to give you an idea, there were probably 3 to 4 cups of grated carrot when I started. I put garlic (3 small cloves, definately not enough) and olive oil and rice (I started with half a rice cooker cup and then added the second half when I realized the carrots were far more substantial than I realized). I added water periodically for half an hour and tried to stir it occasionally (I should have used the bigger pan). And then I declared it done. In my researching carrot risotto online, I found one that said to let it sit for 2 minutes after cooking, which I used to get out my dish and a leftover box and put cheese on the table. It didn't make much of a difference, but maybe that's because I used grated carrot instead of carrot puree or carrot juice, like most of the reciepes used. I was sort of expecting the carrot to disintegrate a little bit more than it did, but it got pretty soft. It was kind of bland except for the little garlic (which is why I think it needs more) but the cheddar cheese on top was tasty (that's why it looks especially orange in the picture).