Do you know duruka? This vegetable is also known as Fiji asparagus 😂 and is a seasonal delicacy coming from the unopened flowers of a plant from the sugarcane family.
It works well in a risotto… so it’s time for another Italian-Fijian fusion recipe! ️ 🇫🇯 🇮🇹
Ingredients (serves 2 people):
– 140 g of arborio or carnaroli rice (rice for risotto)
– 5 or 6 pieces of duruka
– 1 zucchini
– 1 tbsp. of olive oil
– 1 onion
– 1/2 cup of white wine (optional)
– 1 vegetarian stock dissolved in 0.5 l or hot water
– sage, almonds or coconut milk (optional)
Directions:
1) In a nonstick pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and add the finely chopped onion. Cook for 5-10 minutes on low-medium heat until it becomes translucent. Stir regularly.
2) Add the finely chopped zucchini and the sage (optional) and cook on low-medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir regularly.
3) Chop the duruka and add it to the pan. Stir regularly.
4) Add the rice, put the flame on high heat and add the white wine. Stir frequently until the wine evaporates.
5) Add one cup of hot vegetable broth and cook on medium-low heat until the rice absorbs it. Continue adding the broth until the rice is cooked. It should take around 25-30 minutes to cook the rice.
6) Add a pinch of salt and stir well.
7) Feel free to add some ground almonds or coconut milk before serving.
Duruka is a good source of dietary fibre, potassium, magnesium, iron, protein, and antioxidants such as vitamin C and E. As these vitamins are quite sensitive to heat, it’s a good idea to cook this vegetable on low-medium heat or to steam it.
TIP: saffron works very well with this recipe, so feel free to replace sage with saffron.