Inspiced — Recipe Manager
Wild Rice Porridge

Wild Rice Porridge

cooking.nytimes.com
Wild rice, known as manoomin in the Anishinaabemowin language, has been central to the identity and history of Indigenous people in the Upper Midwest and Central Canada for thousands of years. Directly translated as the “good berry,” the sacred manoomin is found in tall green grasses of low-lying lakes and streams, where ricers of all ages use sticks to knock kernels from the grass stalks into the bed of a canoe. This recipe is adapted from Dwayne Jarman, a traditional ricer in Michigan and enrolled member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. For his son’s birthday every year, he makes a delightful breakfast porridge of hand-harvested manoomin simmered in cream and topped with dried fruit and nuts. A touch of maple syrup and plumped berries balance the nutty flavor of the rice with explosions of warm sweetness. You’re urged to seek out manoomin for this recipe (see Tip), but you could substitute store-bought, commercially cultivated wild rice if preferred.
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  • Serves: 4 persons

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Step 1

    Place manoomin in a medium skillet and cover with cold water. Using your hands, gently swish the rice in the pan to rid the kernels of any debris and impurities. Drain and rinse, keeping the rice in the skillet, until the water appears clear.

  2. Step 2

    Cover the rice with 4 cups of water, add salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring gently. Once the water is bubbling, immediately cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. It is done when the grains burst open. (For commercially cultivated wild rice, simmer for 45 minutes.)

  3. Step 3

    Drain the excess water from the rice in a colander or fine-mesh strainer. Add milk, dried fruit, syrup and vanilla to the same skillet, followed by the strained rice. Stir gently to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, so the rice is barely bubbling. Cover loosely and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more time for extra thickness.

  4. Step 4

    Remove from heat and scoop into bowls. Top with additional milk, if desired, and fresh berries and toasted nuts.
NY Times
cooking.nytimes.com