Wild rice is neither found in the wild – though it once was – nor is it a variety of rice. It is the seed of a native grass grown in the northern states of America.
The grain is long and slender with pointed tips and is black-brown in colour.
Wild rice has an earthy, nutty taste, with a firm but chewy texture. It’s expensive, and often mixed with other grains to make it go further. The grains will invariably cook at different times, producing uneven cooking, so it’s better to choose the grains yourself and to cook them separately.
Wild rice is a good antioxidant and is as good for you as quinoa, although it has a different make-up. It has fewer calories than brown rice and about 40% more protein, with more fibre, potassium and zinc, though brown rice has more manganese. It is gluten-free. Rice, like most grains, is acid-forming, but wild rice is alkaline forming. Do not confuse it with Asian black rice.
The grains are tougher than regular rice and take longer to cook.
Wash the rice in a sieve under running water. If you have time, soak it in cold water to cover for 2 hours or more. This will cut the cooking time down. The ratio is 1 cup wild rice to 3 cups water. Put the washed rice (drain it if you have soaked it) in a saucepan and add the water and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle boil, cover pan with a lid and cook gently until it is no longer chalky in texture. You will notice some of the grains are just starting to burst. This is normal. The rice will take about 30-40 minutes to cook (longer if not soaked; 45 minutes or more). If you overcook the rice the grains will puff up and ‘blow’ and be mushy. Drain and use hot, or spread out in a tray to cool if using in a salad.
You can most likely cook wild rice in a rice cooker, though you may need to decrease the amount of water. I can’t give you quantities as I currently don’t have a rice cooker.
The downside of wild rice? It’s harvested by hand so it is expensive.
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