Curry risotto with apple in the Thermomix® only works with one trick: the apple goes into the mixing bowl twice. First it is chopped with the Parmesan and a little lemon juice right at the start, then set aside, and finally folded in at the very end. Anyone who cooks the apple for the full 20 minutes ends up with mushy pieces instead of fresh bite. Here is how to do it properly: 300 g risotto rice, 2 tbsp curry powder, 150 g white wine and 700 g vegetable stock, 20 minutes at 100°C in reverse direction at speed 1. Serves 4 in 35 minutes.
We have been cooking curry risotto regularly for years because it is the only risotto variation where fruit and spice do not work against each other. The apple stays crisp, the curry stays bold, and the Parmesan binds them both together. That only works with the right order of steps, and the Thermomix® handles exactly that for you. While other risotto recipes demand 20 minutes of stirring at the hob, the reverse direction setting does the even stirring here on its own.
Curry Risotto with Apple, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 10 ✓
- 80 g Parmesan
- 1 apple
- 10 g lemon juice
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 40 g olive oil
- 300 g risotto rice
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 150 g white wine
- 700 g vegetable stock liquid
Instructions 0 / 5
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1
Cheese.
Cut Parmesan into pieces and place in the mixing bowl. Quarter and peel the apple, remove the core, add with the lemon juice, chop for 5 sec / speed 8 and set aside.
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2
Onions.
Peel the onion and halve it, peel the garlic, place both in the mixing bowl and chop for 5 sec / speed 5. Add the oil and sweat for 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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3
Rice.
Add the rice, steam for 3 min / Varoma / reverse direction / speed 1 and scrape from the bottom with the spatula.
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4
Seasoning.
Add the curry powder, white wine and vegetable stock and cook for 20 min / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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5
Serving.
Add the Parmesan and apple mixture, mix for 10 sec / reverse direction / speed 4 and serve.
Tip: Instead of Parmesan, you can try a different cheese. Mountain cheese or aged Gouda work very well too.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the apple has to go into the mixing bowl twice
The apple is chopped right at the start with the 80 g Parmesan and 10 g lemon juice at speed 8, then removed. There are two reasons for this. First, the lemon juice protects the apple pieces from browning while the onion and rice are sweating. Second, the pieces stay crisp because they do not cook for 20 minutes. That is precisely the point at which most curry and apple risottos fail: if the apple goes into the stock, nothing but puree remains after the cooking time.
The Parmesan is chopped at the same time because it melts faster when stirred in later. Larger pieces take longer and clump during the final mix. 5 seconds at speed 8 is enough for fine apple pieces and roughly grated Parmesan in a single step. This is exactly where the Thermomix® has the advantage: two ingredients, one chop, no extra grater.
Reverse direction for the rice is essential, otherwise you get rice porridge
Risotto in the Thermomix® absolutely requires reverse direction, otherwise the blades chop the grains. Even during the first sweating stage we add the 300 g risotto rice for 3 minutes at Varoma in reverse direction at speed 1. In reverse direction the stirring arm rotates against the blunt side of the blades, the grains stay whole and still release their starch. In normal direction you would have nothing but rice porridge in the bowl after 20 minutes.
After steaming we scrape the rice from the bottom once with the spatula. Risotto rice settles at the start because it is still dry. One scrape prevents it from sticking to the base and burning during cooking. Only then do the curry powder, white wine and stock go in.
This type of rice makes the risotto creamy
The creaminess in risotto comes not from cream but from the starch in the rice. That is why real risotto rice belongs in the mixing bowl, not pudding rice or long-grain rice. The highest-starch varieties work best:
- Arborio: the classic, thick grains, very creamy, forgiving of an extra minute of cooking.
- Carnaroli: stays firmer than Arborio, considered the premium choice for risotto.
- Vialone Nano: smaller grains, absorbs liquid quickly, ideal when you are short on time.
The 700 g vegetable stock to 300 g rice is calibrated so that no stock remains in the bowl at the end, just a silky, bound consistency. Anyone who wants it even creamier can stir in 20 g cold butter after cooking, before the apple and Parmesan mixture goes in.
The most common pitfalls with curry risotto
The curry tastes bitter
Curry powder turns bitter if it is toasted too early at too high a temperature. Our fix: The 2 tbsp curry powder goes in together with the white wine and vegetable stock, not with the oil. This way the curry cooks in the liquid rather than burning on the hot base of the bowl.
The apple breaks down to puree
Mixing the apple for too long breaks it down completely. Our fix: The apple and Parmesan mixture only goes back in after the 20 minutes and is folded in for just 10 seconds in reverse direction at speed 4. That is enough to distribute everything without breaking the pieces down further.
The rice stays hard in the middle
A hard centre usually means too short a cooking time or too little liquid. Our fix: The 20 minutes at 100°C are fixed, and all the stock must go in. Anyone switching to wholegrain rice will need an extra 500 ml stock and 40 to 45 minutes cooking time.
The Parmesan clumps
Young cheese melts too quickly and turns greasy. Our fix: Stick with Parmesan or switch to mountain cheese or aged Gouda. These mature varieties melt evenly in the residual heat rather than going stringy.
Which apple works best
A tart, firm apple suits the bold curry best. The acidity provides a contrast to the spice and the firmness gives bite. Three varieties have worked well for us:
- Boskoop: strongly tart, stays firm even with brief warming.
- Braeburn: balanced sweet and tart, firm bite, easy to find.
- Granny Smith: the green apple from the original recipe, crisp and sour.
Sweet, floury varieties such as Gala or Golden Delicious break down faster and get lost in the curry. Anyone who wants a fruitier result can add a second apple and increase the lemon juice to 15 g.
Three variations we cook regularly
Spicier: Instead of 2 tbsp mild curry, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or use a hot Madras curry directly. Anyone who wants it milder can go down to 1 tbsp.
Creamier and coconutty: Replace 100 g of the vegetable stock with coconut milk. This makes the risotto rounder and adds a light Thai note that goes well with the apple.
Vegan: Replace the Parmesan with vegan hard cheese or 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes and bind with 20 g olive oil instead of butter. The apple trick stays exactly the same.
What we serve with curry risotto
As a side dish, the risotto goes well with pan-fried chicken or quickly seared fish. As a main course we add a handful of toasted cashews and fresh coriander. More risotto basics and the standard ratio can be found in our Thermomix® Risotto basic recipe. Anyone who wants to go deeper into curry should make their own curry powder, which lets you control the heat precisely. How reverse direction, Varoma and the speed settings work together is explained in our guide to speed settings.
How long the curry risotto keeps
Curry risotto is best served straight away. Risotto thickens as it sits, and after about 10 minutes the creamy consistency is gone and the rice sticks together. We therefore warm the plates beforehand and serve directly from the mixing bowl.
Leftovers keep in a sealed container for 2 days in the fridge. To reheat, add a splash of vegetable stock or water and warm briefly at 70°C / speed 1 in reverse direction until creamy again. Freezing is possible but costs texture: the rice softens on defrosting and the apple pieces lose their crunch. If you do freeze it, leave out the apple and Parmesan mixture and fold it in fresh when serving.
