Now's the time to think about USA Wild Rice

The Wild Rice market in the UK is driven by a growing demand for low-fat food options and consumers becoming increasingly more health conscious, which in turn has inspired chefs in the foodservice sector to count on USA Wild rice to pep up a variety of dishes.

U.S. Wild rice is a 100% whole grain semi-aquatic grass native to North America. With its strict environmental, food safety and worker laws and regulations, U.S. Wild rice is a wholesome, safe and high quality product.

It offers a great source of complex carbohydrates and protein, providing a slower and more sustained release of energy than simple carbohydrates. Adding U.S. Wild rice to other U.S. brown or long grain rice gives a great visual appeal. Also, when added to salads, soups, casseroles or fish dishes it gives a great nutty flavour and crunchy texture.

Top tips

• When cooking U.S. Wild rice pure, cook the rice in four times the amount of salted water for about 45-50 minutes until the water is absorbed.
• When the U.S. Wild rice is mixed with white or brown rice it only has a cooking time of 20-25 minutes. Please refer to cooking instructions on packaging as this might vary depending on rice type.
• The U.S. Wild rice is ready when two-thirds of the grains have burst open to reveal the creamy white interior.
• It is not recommended for people to wash and drain U.S. Wild rice; this is not necessary as the product is clean and it only washes away the vitamins and minerals.
• Uncooked wild rice should be stored in closed containers in a cool dark space.

The USA Rice Federation have teamed up with Peter Sidwell, chef, TV presenter, and author of five cookbooks, who has built and set up a new food innovation and media centre in the heart of the Lake District. Specialising in recipe creation, food photography and video. Sidwell has developed three recipes for the foodservice industry using U.S. Wild rice as the core ingredient. You can view the recipe videos within this article, or if you prefer, download the full recipes from the website.

Slow Cooked Lamb with a Mango & USA Wild Rice Mix Salad

Sea Bass stuffed with Lemon, Fennel & USA Wild Rice

USA Wild Rice Salad with pickled grapes, Walnuts & Brie

U.S. Wild rice is available through a number of wholesalers and importers. To find out more information about suppliers, contact The USA Rice Federation on 01628 535 755, or e-mail: info@usarice.co.uk