Wild rice, with its chewy texture and somewhat green and smokey flavor, matches nicely with fish or simply filled with herbs, salads, soups, casseroles, and stuffings to create a variety of dishes that delight your senses.
The nuttiness and distinct texture of this rice make it more adaptable than most other grains. When combined with other components, it provides a lot of protein and fiber, which works well with other healthy foods.
What foods go well with wild rice? Pilaf of wild rice with mushrooms, unsalted butter, scallions, and ground peppers. Drizzle hazelnut or walnut oil over each mouthful to enhance the nutty flavor.
Wild rice is a great base for savory and substantial dishes, from creamy soup to salad and casserole. It also tastes better when combined with fish, meat, or chicken to produce a nutritious dinner.
Wild rice is a distinct form of rice that comes in a variety of hues such as brown, black, red, and green, which adds vibrancy to the meal. After cooked, the nutty taste and chewy texture make it more picky about meal matching.
If you’re seeking for ideas on what to cook with wild rice, this article will show you precisely what goes well together. The often asked questions regarding what to eat with wild rice to complement its nutty taste and chewy texture with a well-rounded meal are answered here.
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What flavor goes well with wild rice?
A combination of flavours, whether salty or herby, is all that is required to create a wild rice dish.
To give it a tangy and herby taste, try adding additional spices like chile, pepper, lemon, and mint. Finely chopped veggies such as carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, celery, and onions are an excellent method to add flavor to the side dish.
These are some taste combinations that chefs recommend for wild rice:
- wild rice + apple + dried cranberries + brussels sprouts
- wild rice + celery + vegetable broth + olive oil
- wild rice + butter + mushroom + black pepper + white wine
- wild rice + lemon + thyme + chicken broth
- wild rice + goat cheese + arugula + sweet potatoes + vinegar
What meat goes well with wild rice?
In terms of traditional cuisine, the most popular meat to pair with wild rice is beef. The robust combo creates a pleasing flavor that helps the grain to stand up to the meat’s overpowering flavor.
Nevertheless, not all meats go well with wild rice to create a delightful nutty and juicy dinner. Consider the following choices when serving meat with wild rice:
- Beef: ground beef, top sirloin steak, flank steak, beef chuck
- Chicken: chicken thighs, breasts
- Pork: ground pork, pork loin, tenderloin, pork chops
What sauce goes well with wild rice?
The greatest Asian sauces for wild rice are sweet and salty. Because of its typical sweet-salty-umami flavor, soy sauce base is highly loved and widely used for wild rice.
Caribbean spicy sauce, green mole sauce, tahini sauce, cilantro chimichurri, and Sichuan sauce, on the other hand, work well. These sauces include traditional sweet, savory, creamy, and spicy sauces that go well with wild rice, meat, and vegetables to round out a meal.
- red wine vinegar + orange juice + honey
- ginger + sesame oil + soy sauce + rice wine vinegar + honey
- cranberry sauce + mandarin orange
- tomato sauce + garlic + chili powder + chicken stock
- mushrooms + heavy cream + parmesan cheese
What pairs well with wild rice?
Wild rice pairs nicely with a range of items, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheese, oil, herbs, and alcohol.
Following are the chefs’ favorite wild rice ingredients:
- Fruits: lemon, raisins, apricots, cranberries, orange, peach
- Vegetables: celery, onions, scallions, carrots, green beans, peas, corns, mushrooms
- Cheese: parmesan, cream cheese, cheddar, gouda, goat cheese
- Oil: hazelnut, vegetable, walnut, olive
- Nuts: pine nuts, walnuts, almonds
- Herbs: tarragon, rosemary, sage, mint, thyme
- Wine: dry white wine, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling
What to serve with wild rice?
Wild rice complements a wide range of foods, including soup, lettuce wraps, salads, pilaf, casserole, and stuffing. These recipes stand up to the grain’s nutty taste and chewy texture.
- Soup: There are a variety of soup recipes that can be paired with wild rice including vegetable soup, fish stew, or even beef stew.
- Lettuce wraps: Involves wrapping sautéed minced chicken and vegetables topping it with cooked wild rice. The rice will add bulk and flavor, thus dramatically changing the entire taste and wholesomeness.
- Salads: Adding a salad to cooked wild rice is tasty, simply an explosion of taste from fresh greens and dressing.
- Pilaf: Wild rice pilaf slowly sautéed with aromatics before cooking in broth creates a gentle seasoned rice compared to regular cooked rice. From sweet to savory and creamy, there are multiple cooking techniques that can be used to make pilaf on the stovetop or in the oven.
- Casserole: It is simplest and easiest meal to accomplish with wild rice. In oven or cast iron, wild rice, chicken broth and unsalted butter can do the magic. Drop a spoonful of heavy cream or sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top to give a slight crunchy texture to the dish.
- Stuffing: Bell pepper and ground turkey stuffing is commonly served with wild rice. It is a healthy option to serve grain instead of using extra fats, but still offers a nutty flavor that soaks the juiciness of the dish to harmonize the flavors all together.
Eat With Wild Rice: Conclusion
Sweet and spicy meals offer a more palatable flavor component to the flavor profiles of wild rice. Too much of anything is bad, thus the spices should not be excessive or they will spoil the delicious flavor and perfume of the wild grains.
Versatile sauces may also be used to make a wild rice dish. For a flavor-packed side dish, add acidic vinaigrettes or creamy sauces among the grains.
To accentuate the nutty taste, combine this complex grain with mushrooms, butter, scallions, crushed chiles, and speciality oils.
The meat and sauce you use for wild rice may make it sweet, savory, salty, or spicy, depending on your preferences. Wild rice may be served as lettuce wraps, pilaf, and stuffing all year long with the appropriate match.
Whether served as a soup, casserole, or salad, utilize these flavor combinations and suggested components to add a variety of flavors to wild rice.