Wild rice in the kitchen

Wild rice is easy to cook: rinse pure wild rice in cold water, and bring to the boil in three times its weight in water with a little salt. Simmer gently over a low heat for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Wild rice is cooked when about 2/3 of the grains have burst open, revealing the cream-white interior – which is when the special flavour of wild rice really comes into its own.

Mixes of wild rice with parboiled long grain or brown rice are a little less expensive than pure wild rice. These mixes are made with specially pre-treated grains of wild rice. A combination of wild and parboiled long grain rice only takes about 20 minutes to cook, using a ratio of two parts water to one part rice mix.

A mix of wild and brown rice takes about 30 minutes to cook, using 2.5 parts water to one part rice. Once cooked, wild rice will keep in the fridge for several days, and frozen for up to six months – which makes it the perfect addition to any recipe that calls for creativity and a delicate flavour.