Wild Rice Tastes Like Tea!

[HowToBe]

At least it does to me. Do others taste it differently?
:)

We just tried wild rice for the first time. I soaked it overnight (with some water carried over from the last thing I soaked, to add enzymes for breaking down lectins), cooked it, and added a sauce made with homemade chicken broth, egg, potato starch, sea salt, and tuna. The rice by itself has an interesting aroma to it which I've been trying to figure out for a bit, and I've finally realized that it smells and tastes faintly like instant tea (the powdered stuff that dissolves right into water). It's sort of funny to me. It seems to be a little heavy in my stomach, but that may be because it got shut off early (my mom turned off the wrong burner by accident, and I thought she turned the rice off because it was done). It seems done though, so maybe it's just the seed hulls.

[EDIT: added missing question mark and added an omitted word]

 

[3DStudent]

Cool. I haven't tried any yet, even though I have two small boxes sitting around. It's too expensive to be an every day thing.

...and tuna.

FWIW, be careful with the tuna, because it is a large fish and will have more mercury than smaller ones.

 

[HowToBe]

Okay, I'll keep that in mind. We have several kinds from the health store, maybe one of them has some labeling concerning mercury.

 

[rsnedaker]

I cooked some fancy wild rice. I didn't soak it. It smelled sour, so I didn't even try it and I threw it away instead. Is it supposed to smell like that? Does it taste better than it smells?

 

[1984]

I cooked some fancy wild rice. I didn't soak it. It smelled sour, so I didn't even try it and I threw it away instead. Is it supposed to smell like that? Does it taste better than it smells?

I make it in a casserole every so often that includes organic garlic, organic onion, organic chicken broth, organic bacon (fried and diced), organic celery and organic basil. In my opinion, it definitely needs some spice/flavor. :)

Here's a bit on wild rice: _http://www.tntwildrice.com/about_wild_rice.htm

How Wild Rice Is Harvested and Used...

"Wild rice" is a highly nutritious grain. The grain is native to North America. It's naturally abundant in the cold rivers and lakes of Minnesota and Canada, wild rice was the staple in the diet of the Chippewa and Ojibwa Indians, native to this region. This aristocratic grain combines a nutlike flavor with a distinctive texture, offering elegances and a touch of gourmet to any meal.

Harvesting is the process of gathering wild rice kernels from their stalks. Other than a canoe, the only tools required for the harvest are those to propel and to knock the ripe kernels into it. Harvesters use a long pole, forked at the end, to push the boat and a pair of wooden sticks to knock the kernels into the boat. Today, most wild rice is cultivated (by machines), yet it remains a natural product.

We offer both hand picked and cultivated wild rice. If you have tried both organic and cultivated wild rice, you noticed distinct differences in the taste, texture, smell, and cooking time. Because of the way cultivated wild rice is processed, it takes twice as long to cook as compared to hand picked wild rice.

Wild rice is a nutritional grain that has its own distinctive flavor. It needs little ornamentation. Simply toss cooked wild rice with butter and seasonings or serve for breakfast. Wild rice adds a distinctive flavor to any dish. Wild rice is used in a variety of foods such as appetizers, soups, salads, stews, casseroles, dressings, and desserts. In recent years, wild rice has been used in breakfast cereals, muffins, pancake mixes, breads, and cookies.

 

[Cosmos]

I tastes quite good roasted in butter.

 

[HowToBe]

Thanks everyone, interesting info.

I cooked some fancy wild rice. I didn't soak it. It smelled sour, so I didn't even try it and I threw it away instead. Is it supposed to smell like that? Does it taste better than it smells?

I soaked the stuff for probably over 12 hours (by accident; forgot about it and went to bed), and it smelled weird, but I decided to try it anyway, and I'm enjoying it so far. It did smell kind of sour to me, but at this point I think that is how the seed smells, not spoilage. It doesn't taste rotten. I must allow that it may taste and smell differently to you, however.

I tastes quite good roasted in butter.

You do, do you? Hey Pashalis, would you like to come over for dinner... ;)

 

[rsnedaker]

I think I may try it again then, and actually try it.