Wild Rice Pilaf

I found an amazing store yesterday that sells lots of grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruits in bulk to restaurants and I couldn't help but stock up. One of my purchases was Wild Rice, which isn't really a rice at all - it is actually a grass seed that grows in water. It makes a wonderful pilaf with a nutty flavor and a chewy texture. I'm quite fond of it and the only problem I have is that it takes about an hour to cook, so you do have to plan ahead. Otherwise, it is a very easy to cook and it is really delicious.  I cook it with onions, carrots, celery in some butter.  Then I add chicken broth and cooked it until the liquid was mostly absorbed and then served it as a hearty side dish. I served it with some lamb sausages and a salad. I think you'll be pleased if you try this pilaf.

Wild Rice Pilaf

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 chopped yellow onion

1 large carrot, trimmed, peeled and cut into small dice

1 large stalk (or 2 smaller stalks) celery, cut into small dice

2 cups pure wild rice

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon Pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook over medium heat until the vegetables just begin to brown. Add the rice and cook until you can smell the fragrance.  Add in the chicken broth, salt, pepper and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered 1 hour.  Drain in a fine mesh sieve and put into a bowl to serve.

Five Element Analysis

Wild Rice is a seed and it’s a dark color too so it belongs to the Water Element. The chicken broth and celery add the Wood Element and the carrot and long cooking onion contribute the Earth Element.  The Fire Element is only present in the small amount of pepper and the Metal Element is not present. So, to create balance, be sure to serve it like we did with a Fire protein like lamb or a lettuce and tomato salad that also incorporates a Metallic vegetable like radishes or add some parmesan cheese on top for even more of the Metal flavor.