One of my favorite grains is wild rice. A distant cousin of domesticated ordinary rice, wild rice distinguishes itself with a nutty, earthy flavor and pleasantly chewy texture. Its kernels tend to be longer than regular rice, which means it comes out extra fluffy when cooked. And it has more natural flavor!
In most cases, I prefer to prepare wild rice as simply as possible: the old-fashioned boil. Wild rice kernels are usually partially hulled; if the wild rice you buy is minimally processed, the cooking time will be longer, but the time invested is worth it! My beginning ratio is 3 cups of water and 1½ teaspoons kosher salt for every cup of rice. Fill a medium-sized pot with cold water, bring the water to a boil over high heat on the stovetop, add the salt, and then submerge the rice. Lower the heat so it simmers gently. You will know the rice is fully cooked when most of the grains are cracked and the fluffy, white interior of the rice reveals itself. If the water in the pot evaporates too much before the rice is done, simply add small increments of water until the rice is chewy yet tender. Ideally, when the rice is finished cooking there shouldn't be any water in the bottom of the pot. Any precious starches will be in that excess water instead of in the rice!
As a main dish, wild rice can benefit greatly from the addition of sautéed vegetables (onions, mushrooms) or small cuts of tender cooked protein (chicken tenderloins, sliced sausages, ground meat) and, at the end of the cooking process, fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, marjoram, sage). I also like to add some toasted spices (ground cardamom, ground coriander, or ground cumin to name a few...). The toasted spices are particularly useful because they add flavor and act as a surrogate for salt. Cooking without salt doesn't mean your food can't have vibrant flavor! To prepare wild rice when using these additional ingredients, start the rice and the accompanying ingredient(s) in separate pans. When adding vegetables, sauté them separately and add them to the rice when both the vegetables and the rice are about three-quarters done.
In most cases, I prefer to prepare wild rice as simply as possible: the old-fashioned boil. Wild rice kernels are usually partially hulled; if the wild rice you buy is minimally processed, the cooking time will be longer, but the time invested is worth it! My beginning ratio is 3 cups of water and 1½ teaspoons kosher salt for every cup of rice. Fill a medium-sized pot with cold water, bring the water to a boil over high heat on the stovetop, add the salt, and then submerge the rice. Lower the heat so it simmers gently. You will know the rice is fully cooked when most of the grains are cracked and the fluffy, white interior of the rice reveals itself. If the water in the pot evaporates too much before the rice is done, simply add small increments of water until the rice is chewy yet tender. Ideally, when the rice is finished cooking there shouldn't be any water in the bottom of the pot. Any precious starches will be in that excess water instead of in the rice!
As a main dish, wild rice can benefit greatly from the addition of sautéed vegetables (onions, mushrooms) or small cuts of tender cooked protein (chicken tenderloins, sliced sausages, ground meat) and, at the end of the cooking process, fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, marjoram, sage). I also like to add some toasted spices (ground cardamom, ground coriander, or ground cumin to name a few...). The toasted spices are particularly useful because they add flavor and act as a surrogate for salt. Cooking without salt doesn't mean your food can't have vibrant flavor! To prepare wild rice when using these additional ingredients, start the rice and the accompanying ingredient(s) in separate pans. When adding vegetables, sauté them separately and add them to the rice when both the vegetables and the rice are about three-quarters done.
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