When Nonna Meets Ayurveda: A Mushroom Risotto for the Soul
My shiitake mushrooms soaking in the heart kitchen
Some dishes aren’t born from recipes, but from conversations.
It all began with my personal trainer. Somewhere between reps and rest, we found ourselves talking about his Italian Nonna and the way he admires and loves the way she cooks. No recipes. No shortcuts. Just her hands, her memory, and her love.
That conversation lit something in me. It brought back memories I hadn’t visited in years of my 16th birthday at the legendary Balzac restaurant in Melbourne, of watching the theatre of food unfold in places like Il Florentino and Tolano. My mother was a business manager for these iconic Melbourne restaurants, and I started out working at The Florentino.
It was there I saw a whole world open up. It was the first time the Mediterranean felt real to me, not just through food, but through culture, language, and hospitality that spoke to something deep within me.
So, feeling inspired, I came home and made a mushroom risotto. But not just any risotto. I made it the way I now know how to cook: from the lens of Ayurveda, devotion, and rasa. A sacred kitchen creation.
It started with the rich mushroom broth I had brewed the day before (the recipe you’ll find in the pages of the Sacred Kitchen journal). Then came butter and olive oil, brown onions, garlic. A splash of white wine vinegar. A pinch of hing, bay leaf, turmeric and black pepper, opening the way for my intuition and creativity to enter. “What if, I said to myself.”
And here’s where the alchemy happened: calendula petals, soft, golden, sun-infused and gently bitter stirred in for their light and lymphatic magic. A handful of parsley from the garden. A final swirl of cashew nut cream. And then the very last spoon of ghee left from our recent women’s workshop.
The result? The most delicious risotto I’ve ever tasted. Sweet, earthy, creamy, and filled with layers of memory. As I ate, I felt the rasa of it move through my whole body. One friend found the flavour profile "interesting" (perhaps not for everyone!) but to me, it tasted like lineage, presence, and nourishment.
Ayurvedic Notes:
Rasa (taste): Sweet, pungent, and slightly bitter
Virya (potency): Warming
Vipaka (post-digestive): Sweet
Dosha effects: Vata-pacifying, Pitta-supportive in moderation, Kapha in small portions
Ingredient Highlights:
Calendula petals — cooling, cleansing, light-bringing
Cashew cream — sweet, ojas-building, grounding
Mushroom broth — earthy, nourishing, deep
Hing and black pepper — stimulate digestion and add a pungent, transformative note
Tips & Substitutions:
No cashew cream? Try a swirl of oat cream or simply finish with ghee.
No calendula? A few petals of marigold or a sprinkle of fresh lemon zest and a splash of rose water can bring a similar lift.
Recipe:
Just a little note. I cook mostly from intuition and by studying other folks recipes, so I use my hands to measure everything. Below is an approximation of the amounts. So please draw upon your own intuition and wisdom and make any changes that you wish to make.
Sacred Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup arborio rice
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter (maybe a little more)
1 tbsp olive oil ( a really good splash)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
4–5 cups warm mushroom broth (see journal for recipe)
Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
2 Bay leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric
Freshly ground black pepper
Small handful calendula petals (fresh or dried but soaked and add the water they were soaking in to the risotto)
Small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp cashew cream (or substitute)
1 tsp ghee (optional, if you have it)
Rock salt to taste
Instructions:
Warm the butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the onions and stir until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, hing, bay leaf, turmeric and black pepper. Stir gently, allowing the aromas to rise.
Stir in the rice and toast it for a minute or two until coated and glistening.
Pour in the white wine vinegar and let it reduce slightly.
Begin adding the warm mushroom broth, one ladle at a time, stirring gently and allowing each ladle to absorb before adding more.
As the risotto begins to soften and swell, stir in calendula petals.
Continue adding broth and stirring until the rice is tender and creamy (about 25–30 minutes).
Turn off the heat. Fold in the cashew cream, fresh parsley, and the final swirl of ghee (if using). Remove bay leaves before serving.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
Serve warm. Eat slowly. Let it nourish all layers of you.
Closing Invitation:
If you’re longing to reconnect with your own nourishment, consider this a call back to the Sacred Kitchen. The place where your memories and your hands meet the wisdom of the earth. Where cooking becomes presence.
You can find the mushroom broth it rests upon in the journal pages on the website.
With love Rabia 🪔
✨ Ready to bring this kind of magic into your daily life? Join me in the Sacred Living Program and learn how to weave nourishment, ritual, and Ayurvedic wisdom into your kitchen, your heart, and your home.
[Learn more and work with me here: Sacred Living Program
