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Wild Rice is the most expensive rice. In fact, it's not even a rice, it's actually the seed of an annual water grass native to North America. The reed-like grasses grow up to 10 feet (3 metres) tall, and produce flowers at their tops which in turn produce the seeds. The grain ripens over a 10 to 14 day period. In the wild, up to half the crop is lost as seeds just drop on their own into the water. This isn't a total loss, however: it's the plants reseeding themselves.

Cooked all by itself, its nutty flavour can be a bit much of a good thing. Consequently, both to tone down the flavour a bit, and to stretch it out a bit more owing to its cost, it is generally cooked with other rice.

Starting in the mid-1980s, Wild Rice has been cultivated in paddies. Paddy-raised Wild Rice will be more greyish, while that harvested from the wild will be more brownish. Purists feel that the taste of paddy-raised Wild Rice isn't as good, and that it is driving down the cost of true Wild Rice. As of 2005, 95% of the Wild Rice sold in America is paddy-grown, most of it in California.

Cooking Tips
You cook Wild Rice as you would normal rice, except it will take longer. It doesn't have much starch, and will cook up fluffy and separated.

To cook, wash 1 cup (11 oz / 300g) of Wild Rice, and bring 3 cups (24 oz / 700 ml) of salted water to boil in a pot. Add the washed rice, return to the boil, stir, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 50 to 60 minutes. The kernels should be starting to pop open. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and simmer for 5 more minutes. If any water remains, just drain it off. You can cook it a bit less than the 50 to 60 minutes if you prefer a bit more of a chewy texture.

When combining with other rice, cook each separately, then combine.

Equivalents
1 cup (11 oz / 300g) uncooked Wild Rice = 3 cups (13 1/2 oz / 400g) cooked Wild Rice

History
Indians introduced North American settlers to Wild Rice.

Literature & Lore
"If quail or ducks are to be served for dinner, an old Indian dish, wild rice, is very desirable. Prepare this rice as follows:

Place in a double boiler a cupful of milk or cream to each cupful of rice and add salt and pepper to taste. It requires a little longer to cook than the ordinary rice, but must not be stirred. If it becomes dry add a little milk from time to time."

-- Rufus Estes. From "Hints to Kitchen Maids" section in: Good Things To Eat, As Suggested By Rufus. Chicago: The Author. 1911. Page 8.

Acknowlegements

Also called:

Other entries for: Rice

Brown Rice, Converted Rice, Cream of Rice, Instant Rice, Long-Grain Rice, Medium-Grain Rice, Paella Rice, Rice Milk, Rice, Risotto Rice, Short-Grain Rice, White Rice, Wild Rice

Other entries for:

Grains
Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Cereals, Corn, Flax, Kamut, Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Red River Cereal, Rye, Semolina, Sorghum, Spelt, Teff, Triticale, Wheat

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