Name: A Guide to Wild Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 Cups
Ingredients: 1 cup wild rice; 4 cups water; ½ teaspoon salt

Sides

A Guide to Wild Rice

Author: Mary DiSomma

You might be surprised, but wild rice is really not rice at all. It’s an aquatic grass, often referred to as an aquatic cereal grain, that grows wild in marshy areas, isolated lakes and river beds mainly in the Midwest. The kernels are darker, almost black in color and tend to be a bit chewier than wild rice grown naturally.

Wild rice holds the title of the only cereal grain native to North America. Today, most of the wild rice that is on the market is cultivated wild rice; meaning it is grown in man-made marshy areas mainly in California. Cultivated wild rice also lacks some of the traditional earthy flavor. However, it is less costly and more widely available.

Although it’s pricey, the good news is that with a 1 to 4 ratio (1 cup wild rice to 4 cups water) you get a big bang for your buck. One cup of raw wild rice translates to about 4 cups of cooked wild rice

A Guide to Wild Rice

A nutty and rich addition to any meal. Cultivated wild rice will cook in approximately 45 to 50 minutes. Hand-harvested wild rice will take a bit less time, cooking in approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Generally, the darker the rice grain, the longer it will take to cook.

Yield: 4 Cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes 5 min
Cook Time: 50 minutes 50 min
Total Time: 55 minutes 55 min

Ingredients

1 cup wild rice
4 cups water
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Rinse the wild rice in a strainer under cool tap water.
In a saucepot, place the rice, water and salt. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
Cook until rice grains burst open and puff open. Cultivated wild rice will cook in approximately 45 to 50 minutes. Hand-harvested wild rice will take a bit less time, cooking in approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Generally, the darker the rice grain, the longer it will take to cook.
Drain rice in a strainer to remove excess liquid. Serve as a side or add to your favorite soup, salad or baked dish!

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice & Sausage

Preparation + Preservation Tips

You can definitely make this salad ahead of time, but I’d highly recommend keeping the salad mixture undressed until you’re ready to serve it. The texture is everything in this salad, and you want it to remain super crisp. So adding the dressing right before serving does the trick!

Cultivated wild rice will cook in approximately 45 to 50 minutes. Hand-harvested wild rice will take a bit less time, cooking in approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Generally, the darker the rice grain, the longer it will take to cook.