~Introducing food culture from around the world~
Rice is the most widely consumed staple food for a majority of the world’s population and provides one-fifth of the total calories consumed by humans on earth. That is hard to believe.
But did you know there’s more to rice than just white? There’s actually over 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice! Let’s look at some of them today…
Wild rice 野米 yě mǐ are four species of grasses and the attached grain that can be gathered from them. Wild harvested rice is an indigenous sacred food of the Native American Anishinaabe and Ojibwa people of Minnesota and the Great Lakes region in the USA and Canada.
And whether you believe it’s sacred or not, wild rice is exceptionally delicious.
Wild rice is not directly related to Asian rice, although they are close cousins. Wild rice grains have a chewy outer sheath with a tender inner grain that has a slightly vegetal taste.
The plants grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water. The grain is eaten by dabbling ducks and other aquatic wildlife, as well as by us humans.
Wild rice has a higher concentration of B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc than regular rice and is especially rich in lysine – the amino acid (protein) most grains are lacking in.
Have you had the pleasure of trying it before?
As a low-calorie and gluten-free food, as are all true rices, wild rice can help those who are attempting to lose weight and prevent obesity.
Unlike white rice, which can bulk up your diet and actually help gain weight, wild rice has a different effect, preventing overeating due to high fiber and nutrient content, without supplying a high level of calories to the bones and our bone mineral density.
Wild rice will keep indefinitely, if it is kept in a cool dry place in a covered jar or left in original bag.
Cooked, leftover wild rice can be keep refrigerated up to one week; however, it is recommended that you use it up within two or three days. After one week left over wild rice can be frozen. Any cooked foods stored in the refrigerator for a week can develop molds and yeasts that are not visible to the eye but can negatively affect the immune system.
How to cook
Wild Rice
Basic Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups water or stock
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup wild rice (black grains, 1/2 inch long)
Instructions:
Bring water or stock to a boil in a 2-quart pan. If using vegetable stock, only use 1/2 cup stock and the rest water as it is often very thick. Add butter, salt, and rice. Bring to boil again, cover, lower heat, and simmer 60 minutes or more.
Check to make sure all the liquid has been absorbed by tipping pan to the side. Continue simmering until no liquid is left.
Preparation time: 70-80 minutes
Then the rest is up to you! Add a chicken breast or a veggie stir fry… or whatever you want~
Video:
Recipe and video thanks to: http://cookusinterruptus.com/