Cranberry Wild Rice Pilaf Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why does wild rice need to be rinsed? ›

Just like with any other type of rice, it's a good idea to rinse the rice before cooking. Pour a cup of wild rice into a mesh sieve and give it a good rinse. This will rid the rice of any starch that's lingering on the outside of the grain.

You do not have to soak wild rice before cooking it! We wanted there to be as few steps to cooking wild rice as possible. That being said, people soak their wild rice to reduce the cooking time, so if you have the time feel free to soak the wild rice. The finished texture will remain the same.

The most commonly used, of course, is water, but you can also use a stock such as vegetable stock or chicken stock for extra flavor. Just keep in mind that if you are cooking white rice, using stock may change its color.

1 cup uncooked wild rice = 3–4 cups cooked wild rice… that's 6-8 servings from just one cup uncooked wild rice!

📖 Instructions

The ratio of liquid to wild rice for cooking it on the stovetop is 3 cups to 1 cup. Add your water to a large sauce pot, and bring it to a boil, over high heat. Rinse your uncooked wild rice grains with cool, clean water. This removes any dust or debris that has settled in storage.

Here's Why

The chief reason to rinse is to remove surface starch from rice grains, which can make them gummy as they cook. Soaking allows rice to absorb water, giving it a leg up on cooking.

Substitute wild rice in most recipes that call for white or brown rice. Simply allow more time for precooking, or an additional 30 minutes of cooking time for oven dishes. For firmer texture, decrease cooking time five to ten minutes. For fluffier, more tender rice, increase cooking time five to ten minutes.

white rice. When comparing wild, brown, and white rice for nutritional purposes, wild rice comes out on top. Wild rice has less calories, less fat, and less carbohydrates than both brown and white rice. It is also a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids.

Place wild rice, water (or stock), and salt in a saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat. Put the lid on and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let is simmer for 40-45 minutes. You will know that it is cooked when some of the kernels are burst open.

Then add white, brown or wild rice or any other grain to saute with the vegetables. The oil coats the individual grains so they don't stick together. Then a hot liquid is added such as stock, water, wine or even fruit juice. You can even use a combination of liquids.

Can I use butter instead of oil for rice? ›

Since it has a low smoke point, the idea of frying with butter might give you pause since fried rice calls for cooking in very high heat to achieve that desired, slightly crisped-up texture. One tip when using butter is to mix it with oil so you can cook the rice at a high temperature.

How long does it take to cook rice in a rice cooker? That depends on a few factors: how much rice you start with, the type of rice and the rice maker model. In general, though, count on 20 to 30 minutes for 1 cup of white rice.

Because of its unique harvesting needs (learn more about it here), wild rice is significantly more expensive than brown rice. In fact, it's one of the most expensive grains. In Washington State, as of January 2023, wild rice costs $5.16 per pound and brown rice costs 80 cents a pound.

The wild rice grains will pop open when they're done and will have a chewy “al dente” feel when you taste it. You don't want any crunch left, but also don't want it to be mushy. Once it's cooked, turn off the heat and leave the wild rice covered for an additional 15 minutes.

Wild rice expands three to four times after cooking. One cup uncooked (6 ounces) will yield about 3-4 cups cooked. One pound uncooked wild rice measures about 2 2/3 cups and will yield about 8 to 10 cups cooked. Wild rice can be served hot, warm or chilled.

“But in all seriousness, it's important to wash rice because it removes any excess starch so that when you cook it the grains remain separate.” For creamy dishes like rice porridge, risotto, or rice pudding that benefit starch's sticky nature, you can skip the thorough rinse.

Wild rice is gluten-free and low in sugar, sodium, and calories. As with any food, it's a good idea to consume wild rice in moderation.

If you eat rice fairly often, you'll want to know that research shows rice may have arsenic in it — potentially high levels. Like lead or mercury, arsenic can become toxic if you take in too much of it.

Other researchers have reported that phytic acid can be released by milling the grain and fermentation at mildly acidic pH. 5–10 More recently nutritionists reported that significant amounts of phytic acid were removed by soaking the seeds in water.