Spinach Risotto-Style Rice
ほうれん草のリゾット風
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
This is a preschool take on risotto: instead of simmering the rice in stock, a creamy chicken, onion, and spinach sauce is made separately and spooned over freshly cooked rice. The sauce is thickened with rice flour and sweetened soy milk rather than butter and cream, so it is egg-free and dairy-free, and its gentle, mild flavor is one that even children who usually push spinach aside tend to accept. Chopping the chicken into small cubes and the spinach into short pieces keeps everything easy for little mouths to manage.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 75 griceJapanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- 30 gchicken thigh
- 30 gonion
- 27 gspinach
Seasonings
- 1.5 gvegetable oil
- 6 grice flour
- 63 gsweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu)Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
- 0.2 gsalt
- 0.2 gconsommé bouillon (allergen-free)Japanese-style consommé stock granules or cubes, used as a Western-style soup base. This kind is made without egg and milk, but most recipes on this site that use it list wheat in their allergens, so check the label if you avoid wheat. Substitute: A chicken or vegetable bouillon powder or cube made without egg, milk or wheat (check the label).
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- rice (米)
- Japanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- sweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu) (調製豆乳)
- Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
- consommé bouillon (allergen-free) (コンソメ（アレルゲン不使用）)
- Japanese-style consommé stock granules or cubes, used as a Western-style soup base. This kind is made without egg and milk, but most recipes on this site that use it list wheat in their allergens, so check the label if you avoid wheat. Substitute: A chicken or vegetable bouillon powder or cube made without egg, milk or wheat (check the label).
Directions
- 1
Cut the chicken into 1 cm cubes. Cut the onion in half lengthwise, then slice it thinly. Cut the spinach into 2 cm lengths and boil it, then squeeze out the water well.
- 2
Heat the oil in a pot, add the onion, and sauté. Add the chicken and sauté.
- 3
Turn off the heat and stir in the rice flour. Once no dry flour remains, add the soy milk and cook over low heat until the sauce thickens. Add the salt, consommé, and spinach.
- 4
Spoon the sauce over cooked rice.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 402 kcal | 804 kcal | 402 kcal |
| Protein | 12.8 g | 25.5 g | 12.8 g |
| Fat | 8.9 g | 17.7 g | 8.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 69.6 g | 139.2 g | 69.6 g |
| Fiber | 2.4 g | 4.8 g | 2.4 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 43.5 mg | 87 mg | 43.5 mg |
| Iron | 2.3 mg | 4.5 mg | 2.3 mg |
| Potassium | 495 mg | 990 mg | 495 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 402 kcal | 12.8 g | 8.9 g | 69.6 g | 2.4 g | 0.3 g | 43.5 mg | 2.3 mg | 495 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 804 kcal | 25.5 g | 17.7 g | 139.2 g | 4.8 g | 0.6 g | 87 mg | 4.5 mg | 990 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
