No. 42

How To Make Faster Wild Rice

Note–  We sell organic 100% wild rice in 1/4 pound, at the store.  It is imported from Canada in order to avoid the arsenic which is found in rice grown in the southern United States and radiation in Asian product. 

Have you noticed with the cost increase of organic wild rice that it generally is packaged now in combination with other types of rice and referred to as a “wild rice blend”?  The package looks very appealing but the problem is that wild rice has a different cooking time than regular rice.  When regular rice is done, the wild rice is still partially uncooked. Here is how I overcame this problem;

First, purchase 100% wild rice, not a blend.  Take the amount of rice you wish to prepare and put it in a mason jar, or other glass container.  Add about 2 x the water to the rice. Mix this together the NIGHT BEFORE you are going to prepare it. Allow the rice/water mix to set on the counter at room temperature overnight and through the next day to equal 24 hours. During 24 hours two things happen–

1. The rice softens for cooking
2. The rice undergoes a transformation so that the enzymes in the grain is completely bioavailable for easy digestion.  It should have fermenting bubbles in the water at the 24 hour mark.

Cook the rice as usual and use the soaking water.  You can now add optional faster cooking rices.  Wild rice when soaked 24 hours cooks in about 20 minutes or so.  I bring it to a boil, add other optional rice such as jasmine or brown, whatever your choice- or none, turn the heat down to simmer, cover, and cook until done. Generally wild rice takes about 45 minutes to an hour to cook. So this method basically cuts your time down by about half and yields a more nutritious product with full enzyme availability. Enjoy!