Recipes: Honoring Wild Rice Harvest

Recipes: Native Wild Rice (Manoomin)

In honor of the annual wild rice harvest, we offer some special recipes in this post. Wild rice is different from commercially available rice. The rice is a highly-textured, uneven-grain, medium-brown in color with a nutty aroma. You can actually see the difference in the video below. If you cannot get your hands on actual Manoomin or Native Wild Rice, you can substitute it with other rice off the shelf to prepare these delicious dishes.

In addition to the recipes below, we provide more information about traditional Native foods for Tribes residing within Wisconsin. Enjoy!

Native Wild Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon salt

I cup of beef or chicken bouillon (optional)

Directions: Wash wild rice in three changes of hot tap water. In saucepan, heat the wild rice, water, and salt (bullion optional) until it starts boiling. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until wild rice has absorbed the water, about 20 minutes. Wild rice should be tender but not “rolled back.” Note that cooked wild rice triples in volume.

Wild Rice Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup diced celery

1/4 cup instant minced onion

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 small can mushrooms or 1/3 lb. of fresh mushrooms

1/3 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/4 teaspoon thyme

Directions: Prepare rice with chicken broth, using preferred cooking method. Sauté celery, onions and mushrooms (if using fresh mushrooms) in butter 2-3 minutes, combining with rice and seasonings. Will stuff a 10-pound turkey.

Wild Rice Fruit Salad

3 cups cooked wild rice, cooled

1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained

1 16 oz. can chunk pineapple, drained

1 3 oz. jar maraschino cherries, drained and halved

1 3 oz. package orange Jell-o (don’t dissolve)

1 cup miniature marshmallows

Shredded coconut

Directions: Combine all ingredients except coconut in a bowl. Sprinkle with coconut. Serves 8-10.