A satisfyingly chewy wild rice salad with cranberries, pine nuts, and a roast garlic-infused dressing is accompanied here by miso-glazed portobello mushrooms.
Wild rice salad
We should all be eating a lot more wild rice. Healthjade has a great article on its background story, including its nutritional breakdown. Not only is it healthy, but wild rice also has a delicious nutty flavour and a satisfyingly chewy texture.
As with white rice, there are several ways that wild rice could be cooked. In this recipe, we simmer it in stock with some onions. This makes the wild rice even tastier than it already is. The Spruce Eats has a lot more detail on cooking techniques for wild rice.
The nuts and cranberries complement the wild rice so well – enhancing the rice’s nutty flavour and adding a sweet and sour dimension. The roasted garlic vinaigrette contributed loads of flavour enhancing umami and that earthy sweetness one gets from slow-roasted garlic.
More on wild rice
Another wild rice recipe is this Japanese curry on fried tofu and wild rice. There are other recipes on delectabilia that use “black rice”. Wild rice and black rice are sometimes confused but are very different grains. Sensory Mill, a black rice producer, eloquently explains the difference…
Wild Rice
Sensory Mill
Wild rice is not rice at all but a member of the grass family. It’s a native long black grain of North America and was traditionally grown “wild” in isolated lake and river bed locations. Wild rice holds its long shape with cooking and has a nutty texture. It is commonly mixed with other kinds of rice to create blends or mixed as an added ingredient to various dishes such as salads.
Black Rice
Black rice is from the rice family. Historically grown in China, black rice is a short grain. The dark colour of the grain is primarily due to its dense anthocyanin content. Black rice is high in protein, fibre, iron and a great source of nutrients. The grain is slightly sweet with a nutty texture and is used more often than not as a rice base meal in many dishes. It is an easy substitute for white and brown rice in meals.
Miso-glazed mushrooms
The miso-glazed portobello mushrooms, inspired by a recipe on the French Revolution food blog, were a great compliment for the wild rice salad with cranberries. Both the mushrooms and the salad are strong in their own right and could stand alone.
Wild rice salad
Ingredients
For the wild rice salad
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 20 g butter
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cups water (maybe 3 depending on the rice)
- 1 cup veggie stock or chicken if not vegetarian
- 1/4 cup pinenuts
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Roasted garlic dressing
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp roasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
- 1 head of garlic roasted
- Umibudou (sea grapes or radish sprouts for a garnish
Instructions
Wild rice salad
- Soak dried cranberries in 2 Tbsp sake and 2 Tbsp water for at least 30 minutes.
- Was the portobello mushrooms and allow to dry off a bit.
- Bring the water and stock to the boil in a large pot.
- Finely chop the onion.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter then sauté the onion until starting to brown.
- Add wild rice to the saucepan and cook in the butter with the onion for 5 minutes or so.
- Add the water and stock, bring to a boil then reduce to a slow boil, and cook for 35 to 45 minutes. Different brands of wild rice will have different cooking times, so start sampling at 30 minutes. Once the rice is no longer crunchy, remove from heat and drain.
- Toast the pine nuts and almonds until just starting to brown.
Roasted garlic dressing
- Mash the roasted garlic and combine with the olive oil, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. Shake in a shaker and set aside.
Assembly
- Drain the cranberries.
- Combine the wild rice, cranberries, pine nuts, almonds, parsley, and the roasted garlic dressing.
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