Risotto is literally a meal in the palm of your hand. Combine a fistful of pudding rice with an onion and some tasty stock for yet another dish that is way more than the sum of its parts. The basic principle of risotto is to beat the hell out of a rice kernel so that it releases as much starch as possible without overcooking. The more you stir, the more starch is released; the creamier the risotto. It is that simple