Cooking with Wild Rice 101

Introduction

This post covers cooking with wild rice 101 and is part of a series on whole grains 101.

What Is Wild Rice?

Despite its name, wild rice is not considered directly related to cultivated rice (oryza sativa) at all. 

Wild rice is the seed of a semi aquatic grass native to North America.

This gluten-free grain was a major food crop for many Indigenous tribes in North America for what is likely thousands of years prior to the arrival of European settlers.

You may hear of wild rice referred to by other names including manoomin, meaning “precious grain” in the Ojibwe language.

While there are 4 species of wild rice, the one that is commonly consumed as a grain is an annual plant called northern wild rice (zizania palustris).

It naturally grows along streams, rivers and lakes in the Northern United States and Canada where it is a favorite food of water fowl.

After the arrival of European settlers, the trade of wild rice increased and it was an important source of income for several tribes.

Wild Rice Cultivation and Harvesting Methods

Traditional hand harvesting is done by two person teams using a canoe.

It takes multiple passes over a couple weeks for the full harvest of wild rice that shatters as it ripened.

In the late 20^th century, farmers found ways to cultivate a non shattering hybridized version of wild rice in paddies and since then, it has been grown commercially on a large scale in California, Minnesota and to a lesser degree Idaho.

According to the excellent reference cookbook Wild Rice by Susan Carol Hauser, in the late 1990s, paddy wild rice was also cultivated as far away as Australia and Hungary.

Because cultivated wild rice is mechanically harvested, it is more cost effective to produce.

However, cultivated wild rice is also subject to more pests and disease and therefore in certain cases can be sprayed with herbicides and pesticides unless the grower states otherwise or the grain is certified organic.

(While wild grown wild rice is typically not labelled organic, since it is not farmed, you will want to look for assurances that the natural habitat is free of pollutants.)

After paddy wild rice cultivation increased, the price per pound for all wild rice decreased.

The lower price for cultivated wild rice made it more affordable for the consumer but also lowered the demand for the more expensive hand harvested truly wild variety.

To make matters more challenging, there are no consistent labeling laws to help determine whether you are getting paddy grown or wild grown wild rice.

For most of us, the cultivated wild rice is more affordable and what we can purchase most frequently.

When searching for a gourmet treat, then you may consider spending more for the traditionally grown and hand harvested wild rice.

Drying Wild Rice

No matter the cultivation method, once the grain is harvested, it spoils quickly unless it is kept wet or otherwise dried fully.

The ancient drying methods consisted of first drying the wild rice on mats over a day, turning it frequently.

Once dried sufficiently, it was parched using heat to prevent the germ from sprouting and to harden the kernel for long term storage.

Then, the hull was removed from the grain which left visible its dark black exterior.

In some cases, the grain was also scarified: this consists of scratching the bran layer which aids in quicker cooking while not substantially reducing its nutritional value.

More details on wild rice processing can be found here.

There are claims that the paddy grown black wild rice is tougher and more bitter tasting because of its longer drying time using more industrial methods.

But from what I have seen, hand harvested wild rice is also typically scarified into lighter colored brown wild rice – therefore it is somewhat more tender and milder because part of the bran has also been scratched off.

Wild Rice Nutrition

Wild rice is a gluten-free ancient whole grain.

Nutritional values are likely to vary between the paddy grown wild rice and the hand harvested wild rice.

The information provided here is for paddy grown wild rice as that is the most complete source I could find.

Relative to cultivated brown rice (BR), a 45 gram portion (1/4 cup) of raw wild rice (WR) has about the same amount of calories (161 grams WR vs 165 grams BR) but double the protein ( 7 grams WR vs 3 grams BR).

At 0.5 gram of fat for 45 grams of raw wild rice, it is low in fat.

It should be noted that the fat wild rice does contain is much higher in omega 3 than standard brown rice.

Per the USDA database, wild rice is an excellent source of zinc, copper and manganese with a 45 gram raw portion covering 20% or more of the daily value of each mineral.

It is also a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, and B vitamins.

In addition, thanks to its dark color, wild rice is rich in cancer fighting phytochemicals and cholesterol lowering phytosterols.

Concerns

Arsenic

Paddy grown wild rice is grown in similar conditions to brown rice.

Like brown rice, it can uptake arsenic in the soil.

For an in depth discussion on mitigating arsenic, please see this post.

Ergot

While relatively rare, wild rice can be infected by the ergot fungus which can be spotted by pinkish or purplish spots on the grain or will be oversized.

The infected grains should be disgarded.

Phytic Acid

The bran layer in wild rice is known to contain phytic acid which can bind with needed minerals such as iron and calcium.

Typically, to neutralize phytic acid in grains, an overnight soak in an acid medium is recommended.

However, it is a bit tricky to do this with wild rice as excessive soaking can make it turn mushy.

If you do choose to soak your wild rice – consider soaking it for less time than you might brown rice: around 6 hours.

Pesticides and Herbicides

As discussed in the prior section on cultivation methods, conventional paddy grown wild rice can be exposed to pesticides and herbicides just like conventional rice.

For paddy grown rice, the organic certification or the vendor’s description of their farming methods will help to choose the healthiest grain.

Even wild grown rice may have issues from runoff that drains into lakes, rivers and streams as well as lead pellets from water fowl hunting.

The vendor’s description of the growing environment is likely to be your best source on information for a healthy grain.

As with all food sources, the wisest approach is to vary the grains you eat.

Forms of Wild Rice

The usual forms of wild rice which are considered a whole grain are:  whole black wild rice, broken/cracked black wild rice and wild rice flour.

Whole black wild rice is typically glossy and takes longest to cook.

Because much of the bran layer remains, scarified brown wild rice and broken scarified brown wild rice are typically also considered whole grains.

While paddy grown wild rice can be scarified, typically this extra processing step is associated with hand harvested wild rice.

An even more scarified wild rice, called blond wild rice, is usually not considered a whole grain and therefore will not be covered here.

Cooking Characteristics

The broken wild rices (black or brown) are quicker cooking then their whole form counterparts.

Scarified brown wild rice is quicker cooking than whole black wild rice.

Both wild grown and paddy grown wild rice can vary in length and thickness which will also impact their cooking time.

Sprouted Wild Rice?

Unlike other dry grains, wild rice cannot be sprouted at home.

As detailed earlier, wild rice is heat treated as part of its traditional processing to prevent mold and the seed is no longer viable.

To remain viable, the wild rice seed needs to remain in a controlled wet environment at all times.

There are seed companies such as this one that will ship wet wild rice seeds to you for planting outdoors.

Traditionally, wild rice was naturally reseeded during hand harvesting as some wild rice seeds naturally fell into the water instead of being caught in the canoe.

Whole Wild Rice – Boiled

Stovetop

Because wild rice will vary in thickness and length, your best starting point for boiling it are your package instructions.

Below are basic instructions that you may need to tweak depending on how chewy you prefer your wild rice.

1. Soak 1 cup of whole black wild rice in 2 cups of water (or stock) with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar for 6 hours.
2. Transfer soaked wild rice with remaining soaking water to a pot.
3. Add 1 cup water (or stock) with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until the inner white part of the wild rice swells up and it is tender to your taste.
5. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes to allow remaining liquid to absorb.

Note: Brown wild rice can be prepared using same instructions. To prevent mushiness, soaking time can be reduced to 3 hours and cooking time is reduced to between 20 to 30 minutes.

Black wild rice will yield about 2 ½ cups of cooked grain while brown wild rice will yield approximately 3 fluffy cups.

Instant Pot

1. Soak 1 cup of whole black wild rice in 2 cups of water (or stock) with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar for 6 hours.
2. Transfer soaked wild rice with remaining soaking water to Instant Pot.
3. Add 1 cup water (or stock) with a pinch of salt and set to 20 minutes high pressure.
4. Allow minimum of 10 minutes natural release.
5. Fluff wild rice and drain off any remaining liquid

Note: If using brown wild rice, presoak for just 3 hours and reduce time to 10 minutes high pressure with 10 minutes natural release.

Uses

Boiled wild rice can be used in any way other whole grains are used including pilafs, stuffing and stir fries.

It can be combined with cooked brown rice in any recipe for a visually appealing and tasty whole grain variant.

Cooked wild rice will keep for several days in the refrigerator.

Tip:  Batch cook your wild rice and freeze it in ½ cup or 1 cup portions to add to soups and rice blends as needed.

Frozen cooked wild rice will keep for about 3 months.

Whole Wild Rice – Popped/Puffed

Black wild rice will pop under high heat.

While some sources state broken wild rice pops well, I have found better luck with whole black wild rice.

To pop wild rice you will want to have a heavy bottomed pot will high sides and a glass lid such as this one.

The wild rice can be popped with or without oil.

The no oil version is much healthier.

No Oil Version

1. Set pot to medium high heat and place one kernel of wild rice in it.
2. Once the kernel pops, then add 1/4 cup of wild rice at most to the pot so that the grains are no more than one layer deep.
3. Cover pot and let pop for about a minute:  you will see the wild rice shake and puff up to show part of the whitish interior.
4. Remove promptly from heat and transfer to a cool bowl.

Oil Version

1. Set pot to medium high heat.
2. After a couple of minutes, add a tablespoon of high heat point oil such as coconut oil to the pot.
3. Swirl oil around so it covers bottom of pot.
4. Add one kernel of wild rice in and cover pot.
5. Once the kernel pops, then add 1/4 cup of wild rice at most to the pot so that the grains are no more than one layer deep.
6. Cover pot and let pop for about a minute:  you will see the wild rice shake and puff up to show part of the whitish interior.
7. Remove promptly from heat and transfer to a cool bowl.

Note: Not all the wild rice will puff out fully but all the kernels will be crunchy with a nutty texture.

Uses

Puffed wild rice adds a pleasant texture to a breakfast bowl or a salad.

Popped Wild Rice and Moisture Levels

The degree to which wild rice pops depends on how much residual humidity remains in the wild rice.

Therefore, freshly harvested wild rice will pop more fully than wild rice that has been in storage for several years.

Just like for popcorn, you could try rehydrating older wild rice.

You can start by placing a cup of wild rice in a mason jar and adding a teaspoon of water.

Shake the mason jar for a minute to insure all the grains are hydrated.

You will want to wait at least two days for the moisture to distribute well throughout the wild rice and try popping again.

Broken Wild Rice – Boiled

Broken wild rice usually are the broken pieces leftover when processing whole wild rice.

While they will not be uniform in size, they will cook more quickly than whole wild rice.

Stovetop

1. Soak 1 cup of broken black wild rice in 2 cups of water (or stock) with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar for 2 hours.
2. Transfer soaked rice with remaining water to a pot.
3. Add 1 cup water (or stock) with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the inner white part of the wild rice swells up and it is tender to your taste.
5. Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes to allow remaining liquid to absorb.

Instant Pot

1. Soak 1 cup of broken black wild rice in 2 cups of water (or stock) with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar for 2 hours.
2. Transfer soaked rice with remaining water to Instant Pot.
3. Add 1 cup water (or stock) with a pinch of salt and set to 10 minutes high pressure.
4. Allow minimum of 10 minutes natural release.
5. Fluff wild rice and drain off any remaining liquid.

Note: Keep in mind that the longer you keep the broken rice in the warm setting, the more mushy it will get – which may or may not work depending on your intended application.

Uses

Broken wild rice is best in applications like soups or porridges.

It is also sometimes used as a chewy addition to pancakes and breads.

Wild Rice Flour

Wild rice flour is typically made from black wild rice and it is a dark tan color.

Because it is gluten-free, wild rice flour is of interest to those with celiac disease or who are gluten intolerant.

How to Make Wild Rice Flour

You can buy wild rice flour but it is not always easy to find.

Because wild rice has a relatively soft outer bran layer, it is very easy to make at home.

You can turn either whole or broken wild rice into flour.

If using whole wild rice, a high speed blender, spice grinder or any grain mill will work.

If using broken wild rice, you don’t want to use a micronizer mill as its mechanism could be compromised by the flour parts fed into the mill.

Keep in mind that home made wild rice flour is likely to be more grainy than the store bought version.

Depending on the intended application, you may want to pre-soak the wild rice flour to reduce the grainy feel.

Uses of Wild Rice Flour

Wild rice flour has a strong nutty flavor which could be overpowering if used on its own for baking.

Consider adding wild rice flour as a small part of your pancake or muffin mix (around 10%) to add flavor and boost nutrition.

You could also use wild rice flour as a thickener in hearty soups and porridges where it will blend in well with other strong flavored ingredients.

Cookbooks About Wild Rice

In many cases, regular cookbooks will include a recipe or two using wild rice.

There are some cookbooks dedicated to wild rice that usually include interesting information on its historical use.

None are them are plant-based.

• The cookbook I relied on for this post is Wild Rice by Susan Carol Hauser.

Other notable and popular books with wild rice recipes include:

• The Good Berry Cookbook by Tashia Hart

Good berry is the translation for manoomin, the name of wild rice in the Ojibwe language.

• Original Local by Heid E. Erdrich  

• The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman

In addition, sites that sell wild rice often include recipes to use it.

Where to Buy Wild Rice

This post includes a free PDF download of online whole grain vendors, 5 of which sell cultivated wild rice.

Amazon does include some hand harvested sources of wild rice including this one.

You can also Google “hand harvested wild rice” to find the most up to date smaller Native American providers.

Conclusion

Northern wild rice is a delicious, nutritious gluten-free grain that is worth seeking out and using in your rotation of whole grains.

Wishing you a grainlicious experience!

Disclaimer:  I am not a medical professional or a nutritionist.  This post is provided for general educational purposes. For a full disclaimer, please see here. 

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