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Wild Rice is a hearty, chewy, nutty rice perfect for a side dish or as an addition to soup or salad. Get it right every time with our recipe.
Delicious eaten on its own with a little butter, but also versatile enough to add to soups and salads, this is a wild card grain that is gluten-free, very high in protein, and high in fiber. You’ll love the nutty flavor and chewy texture, different from white rice in so many ways, mostly the fact that it is bursting with natural flavor. Give the beautiful, colorful blend a taste. You’re going to love it!
What is Wild Rice?
Wild rice is an aquatic grass that grows in shallow water including lakes, marshes, and streams. You would usually find it in calm, clear water with a muddy or mucky base or substrate. The wild rice plant can grow to be 10 feet tall and serves as food for migrating birds as well as other animals.
Although the ‘wild’ rice you find in bags in the grocery store is cultivated, you still can find wild rice in nature. In North America, the grain is native to the areas of Canada, parts of the Great Lakes, Texas, Florida, and the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
Almost all of the cultivated wild rice that we eat comes from California and Minnesota (99%).
Along with having a high amount of protein, the grain is full of fiber, and high in vitamins and minerals including potassium and magnesium.
How to Serve Wild Rice
Wild Rice can be served on its own as a side dish, as is, with a little butter, salt, pepper, and maybe some parmesan cheese if you wish! If has a great nutty flavor that would compliment many dishes. You could also add it uncooked to broth to create wild rice soup. Add other vegetables, meat, or beans that you want to this soup, or add the rice to an existing soup that just needs rice. The rice will work just like any rice you would add to soup. Finally, you could make a really hearty salad with wild rice. Layer the rice on the bottom of the bowl, add spinach or your favorite lettuce, and then add veggies, beans, diced chicken or steak, whatever your heart desires for your perfect salad. Toss with an oil based dressing. It’s delicious!
How to Make Wild Rice
- To start, add 1 cup of rice to a fine mesh strainer and rinse with cold water for 1-2 minutes. Drain completely.
- Next, add rice, 1 ¾ cup of stock, and 1 tablespoon of butter (optional) to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let steam for 10 minutes with the lid still on.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
The flavor of the rice isn’t so strong that it takes over the dish you are eating, but it is certainly stronger than white rice. Words often used to describe it are “planty” and “grassy”. It has a toasty, nutty kind of flavor. It’s also chewier and more firm than white rice.
When you are cooking your rice, an easy way to season it is to cook it in stock, something like chicken or veggie. This gives it a saltiness and flavor without having to worry about how much salt.
You will find wild rice in the rice section of your grocery store. Most regular grocery stores should have it, but a store like Whole Foods always has it.
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More Rice Recipes
Wild Rice
Equipment
- pot with lid
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1 3/4 cup chicken stock or water
- 1 tablespoon butter optional
Instructions
- Add rice to a fine mesh strainer and rinse with cold water for 1-2 minutes. Drain completely.
- Add rice, stock, and butter to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam for 10 minutes with the lid still on.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
Notes
- If rice is not done at the end of the cooking time, add 1-2 more tablespoons of liquid and cook over medium until rice is done.
- If the rice is still wet at the end of the cooking time, heat and cook off any extra liquid.
- You can cook wild rice in the rice cooker with the same liquid ratio, just use the brown rice setting if that is an option on your cooker.
This was a great base for cooking wild rice. I find it mixed well with the juices from my baked chicken. Now I can finally start making wild rice on the regular 🙂
Perfect instructions
For the wild rice recipe, in order to use the nutrition guide how much is one serving?
The serving size is 1/2 cup of cooked rice.