Creative Cooking by LydiaPreparation need not be difficult, time-consuming or costly.
Rice
Rice
Posted Wed, 07/05/2006 - 15:26
I bought a wild rice blend from the bulk foods section at Copps and twice I've cooked it and it was either still very raw or it all stuck together. I used 2 cups to one cup of rice and it all cooked away and the rice was still hard. I heard you were not supposed to stir rice as it gets sticky and I didn't but that didn't work either. What am I doing wrong?
Rice
Fri, 07/07/2006 - 22:00 — Creative CookThere are 2 replies (2 recipes) - you might prefer the last one.
If wild rice is cooked for a long time, it opens the kernels and the starch is released, causing it to stick together.
The reason you don't use a spoon is because with a fork you can lightly toss the rice and not break the kernels like a spoon would.
Most people like the rice cooked so it doesn't open. Personally, I sometimes cook it either way, depending on how I want to serve it. If I mix it with brown and white long grain, I cook it until tender but not until it opens. (I mix it with the white after they are each cooked individually or the white would be over cooked and the brown often does not need to cook quite as long as the wild does.) If I want to put it in a soup, etc. as a starch base, I cook it until it opens the kernels. Yes, if the kernels open, it gets sticky. That is why, if in a soup or liquid sauce type product the liquid keeps it from sticking together as much as when it is alone.
Wild rice is not a real "rice". It is instead a seed of a grass and that is why it responds differently than "rice".
Don't feel badly, it sometimes frustrates me too. I don't like it hard, but not mushy either so I have enclosed the recipe from my Doubleday Cookbook which is a very respected manual on foods and cooking.
Recipe for basic cooked wild rice
1 cup Wild rice
3 cups Water
1 teaspoon Salt
203 Tbl. Melted butter or margarine
Wash rice well in a stainer under cold running water. Place in a heavy saucepan with water and salt, cover, and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Uncover and boil gently, without stirring, about 35 mintues until just tender. Drain, set uncovered over lowest possible heat and dry 5 minutes, shaking pan occasionally. Mix in butter with a fork and serve. (Note: to keep hot, transfer to the top of a double boiler, cover, and set over simmering water. Don't try to keep warm more than 20 minutes or lovely crisp texture will be lost.) About 220 calories for each of 4 servings, 150 calories for each of 6 servings.
Feel free to call me at 240-9773 (if I am not home - call after Sunday afternoon - I need to get a new tape for my answering machine). I will be at Copps 7/9 and 7/16 and then will be taking a 6 week leave of absence for a break. I will be at the hot ham stand from 8a-1p on Sundays, Saturday 7/8 in the deli until 12p, and in the deli evenings Tue. and Wed. I will continue teaching and look forward to seeing you in classes again soon.
Thanks for your question.
Lydia Critchley
Rice
Fri, 07/07/2006 - 22:24 — Creative CookHere is another recipe from The Classic Cookbook which is another respected manual. This is a more current manual.
1 cup Wild Rice
4 cups Water
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
Place rice in a pot and add plenty of water. Swich rice gently with hands. Drain and repeat until water runs clear. Return rice to pot with the 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a very low simmer. Cover and cook for about 50 minutes. Drain rice and let it sit in a colander or strainer for 10 minutes undisturbed. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Yield 6 servings
Post new comment