Even despite its exorbitant cost, wild rice is becoming more and more popular over time: the lion's share of new European diets is based on eating this product. The main benefit of wild rice lies in its rich chemical and biological composition, and most importantly, in the complex of proteins necessary for normal metabolism.

For a long time, it formed the basis of the diet of the indigenous North American inhabitants: in the winter, when hunting and fishing did not bear fruit, and their bodies lacked protein, wild rice served as the only but rich enough source of protein.

This grass, which grew along the banks of water bodies, is extremely whimsical to habitats: it grows in shallow water like reeds and requires certain climatic conditions. That is why its cultivation took a long time. Only in the middle of the last century in Minnesota was it possible to plant the first field of wild rice flooded with water. Today, wild rice is cultivated not only in its homeland (USA and Canada), but also in some European countries, the Middle East, Australia. However, cultivated wild rice has much fewer useful properties, while the grains themselves are much denser: up to fully prepared they are boiled for about an hour, unlike their "ancestor", which can be cooked in just half an hour.

Composition and calorie content of wild rice

Wild rice is the richest source of vitamins, primarily B vitamins and folic acid. In addition, it contains a lot of carotene, tocopherol and phylloquinone. It is rich in micro and macro elements: iron, manganese, zinc, copper, selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and calcium.

100 grams of raw rice contains up to 15 grams of protein, 70 grams of carbohydrates and very little fat. Dietary fibers make up to 6.5% of the dry mass. The calorie content of wild rice is approximately 360 kcal per 100 g, the cooked portion of rice of the same mass does not exceed 100 Kcal, thanks to which he was awarded the proud title of dietary.

Benefits of Wild Rice

The main benefit of wild rice is that it contains an almost complete list of proteins necessary for humans, so its regular consumption gives muscles strength and protects against all kinds of damage, allows you to establish metabolic processes and stimulate the immune system. The only exceptions are two items, the needs of the body in which it is quite possible to fill by eating legumes along with rice, for example, peas, lentils or beans.

Wild rice is also useful for digestion, mainly due to the large amount of fiber it contains: they stimulate peristalsis and naturally cleanse the intestines of toxins. That is why it is recommended to introduce it into the diet of people suffering from digestive disorders, obesity.

In addition, wild rice does not contain cholesterol, but on the contrary, there are substances that normalize its content in the blood. Due to these properties, wild rice is useful in various diseases of the circulatory system, especially atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

Regular consumption of wild rice has a positive effect on the work of the nervous system. In addition, it has the ability to remove excess salts from the body, which helps with edema, as well as high blood pressure.

Wild rice is recommended for athletes who need a rich protein diet, as well as for young children. In the diet of pregnant and debilitated people, this product is simply irreplaceable, since just a glass of cooked rice contains the daily norm of folic acid.

No relationship. Its real name is aquatic zitzania, an annual plant of the grass family. To put it simply, it is a marsh grass 1.5–3 m high, a close relative of sowing rice.

The considerable price of wild rice is determined not only by its unique nutritional value, but also by the complexity of processing and the rarity of the product.

This rice is harvested mainly by hand: sailing on a canoe, the worker tilts the grass over the boat with one stick, and with the other he hits the ears, causing the grains to fall to the bottom of the boat. An experienced picker gathers about 10 kg of grain per hour.

Wild rice grains are very tough, so they must be soaked in water a few hours before cooking and then boiled for 30–40 minutes. Very thin and long grains of black rice are often added to long white rice. So the vitamin composition of the mixture is made richer: light rice contains calcium and iron, and wild rice contains thiamine. Such rice is packed in bags of 450 g, which is explained by its high cost.

wild rice calories

Wild rice has a high content of carbohydrates and a very small amount of fat, thanks to which it saturates the body well. Its calorie content in boiled form is 100 kcal per 100 g of product. Indicated for use in moderation by everyone, including those who are obese.

Nutritional value per 100 grams:

Health Benefits of Wild Rice

Wild rice contains many useful and nutritious substances, a significant amount of protein (15 g out of 100, and in a very rich breakdown of amino acids), B vitamins and is especially valuable in folic acid (here it is five times more than in brown rice) . A glass of wild rice contains the daily amount of folic acid for an adult. In terms of minerals, wild rice contains significant amounts of magnesium (177 mg), phosphorus (433 mg), zinc (6 mg) and manganese (1.3 mg is 2/3 daily allowance for an adult).

Wild rice also contains calcium, copper, iron, iodine, folic acid, amino acids - methionine, lysine and threonine.

Wild rice contains a large number of protein, so this rice gives strength to the muscles.

Wild rice has half the sodium of regular rice. There is no saturated fat or cholesterol in it at all. After so many benefits, is it worth mentioning that wild rice is also a whole grain?

However, wild rice also has its drawbacks: there are two of them. Firstly, it is quite expensive, as it grows only in a relatively small area (globally). And secondly, wild rice protein is not whole: it contains 18 amino acids, but lacks two - asparagine and glutamine. However, this is easy to fix - just serve boiled wild rice with legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils): they just contain the missing amino acids. Thus, you will get a whole protein, and this is of particular value to vegetarians and fasting. Alternatively, for the same purpose, you can flavor wild rice with chopped nuts or seeds, but it is important to observe moderation here: they are very high in calories.

How to cook wild rice? You can’t take it with brute force - you definitely need to soak it. Fill it with plenty of cool water overnight, and then drain this water. Pour the rice into boiling salted water (3 cups of water per cup of wild rice), reduce the heat to a low boil and simmer the rice, covered, for about 40 minutes. Ready rice will "open up" and become about 3-4 times larger than raw rice!

And if there is no time for a long soak, this trick will help: pour wild rice with boiling water in a ratio of 1: 3, cover with a lid and let it brew for an hour. Then drain the water and follow the recipe above.

Boiled wild rice is often used as a side dish (for example, mixed with brown rice), as well as an integral part of pilafs and cereal soups. However, there are many delicious low-calorie meals where he plays the first role.

Wild rice is an incredibly healthy cereal for the human body, although it cannot be called either cereal or rice. Because of its beneficial properties, wild rice is becoming more popular every day, it is adored not only by culinary specialists, but also by nutritionists, and a large number of delicious dishes can be cooked with wild rice. It contains a large amount of B vitamins, and it also contains folic acid in large quantities, because of this, wild rice is 5 times larger than plain rice. Incredibly, this cereal contains 18 amino acids.

properties of wild rice

Since ancient times, it is believed that wild rice returns strength and energy due to the content of vitamins, minerals and protein in large quantities. If you use this product regularly, it is able to improve vision and cope with eye fatigue. It contains: magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and B vitamins.
The protein contained in black wild rice will be appreciated by those who are fasting or vegetarians. And also it will be useful for people involved in sports or hard physical labor.

The price of wild rice compared to its counterparts is quite high and this is due to the difficulties of growing this type of rice. But looking at the benefits and properties of wild rice, you immediately understand that it is worth it. You can buy wild rice in almost any supermarket.

How to Boil Wild Rice - Process Description

Like plain rice, wild rice is boiled. But before cooking, it must be soaked in water and drained of this water before boiling. Soaked rice is poured into salted boiled water. The proportions are 1 to 3 and simmer for 40 minutes over low heat.

There is another way, wild rice may not be soaked, but in this case it is poured with boiled water in the same proportion as during cooking and left for an hour so that the rice is infused.

Benefits of Wild Rice

All varieties of rice contain gluten, but wild rice differs from its counterparts in a large amount of valuable nutrients and healing properties. It is rich in lysine, dietary fiber and protein. In terms of the content of a large number of minerals and vitamins, it surpasses other varieties of rice. Wild rice contains folic acid, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, zinc.

Wild rice is recommended to be introduced into your diet for people who are obese and metabolic disorders, it is also prescribed for high cholesterol and problems with the cardiovascular system, as it improves the digestive system. Wild rice does not contain fat, so it has the property of removing harmful cholesterol from the body.

For hypertensive patients and people who need to eliminate the use of salt from their diet, wild rice will be indispensable, since compared to other varieties, wild black rice contains half the sodium.

Harm of wild rice. As such, there are no contraindications for wild rice, and dangerous properties wild rice scientists have not found. But its excessive consumption can lead to constipation, so it is recommended to consume it with vegetables or fruits.

wild rice calories and nutritional value

Athletes and people who strictly control the products they consume are concerned about wild rice calories, as well as how much fat, protein and carbohydrates it contains.

calories 100 g boiled wild rice - 101 kcal
Squirrels per 100 g of product - 3.99 g
Carbohydrates per 100 g of product - 21.34 g
Zhiri per 100 g of product - 0.34 g

Below is a more detailed table.

The basis of the rice diet is to eat wild rice for two weeks. During this diet, it is allowed to eat vegetables, fruits, herbs and vegetable oils. You need to eat three times a day, while eating rice each time, you determine the serving size yourself, since you should not starve or overeat. In what form you also choose to use vegetables yourself, as they can be eaten fresh or in salads, boiled or steamed. You can also cook wild rice with vegetables in a slow cooker, because during cooking it retains all the vitamins that are so necessary during the diet.

Now it is difficult to say how many kilograms a person can lose with this diet. After all, everyone determines the portion size for himself, on this diet you can lose both 8 and 5 kg, you just need to adjust your diet.

A huge plus of the wild rice diet is the lack of hunger. You can cook various dishes with rice and vegetables, so the rice diet will not seem boring to you. It is also medicinal, as it is often prescribed to people with gastritis. The disadvantage of this diet is the lack of meat and fish in the diet. But for two weeks on this diet, this will not affect your health.

How to make Pumpkin Salad with Apples and Wild Rice Video

Video about cooking wild rice salad, which makes the dish both hearty and dietary. You will also learn about calories and useful properties wild rice.

An unusual cereal, resembling rice in shape, but having a black color, has recently become available in our country. Its dark color and rice-like shape immediately gave the name to the product - black rice. This cereal has nothing to do with white and, remarkably, this cereal.

Black, wild or water rice is the fruit of a marsh grass native to North America. Since ancient times, the Indians have known the benefits of wild rice. The product is so rich in proteins and trace elements that it allowed entire tribes to survive the hungry winters.

Mineral composition of black rice

In order to preserve all the benefits of grains of water zitzania (water or wild rice has such a scientific name), the natives of the American continent did not boil, but brewed the grains with boiling water in three stages. So it was possible to save the calorie content of cereal. The fact is that the calorie content of raw grains exceeds the value of cooked ones by 3.5 times. If raw cereal is estimated at 360 kcal, then boiled has only 100 kcal. But the Indians valued this cereal not only for satiety. Its rich composition helped support the healthy functioning of all body systems.

1. Amino acids. Of the 18 amino acids necessary for a person to live a full life, the wild relative of the famous cereal contains 16, with the exception of asparagine and glutamine. This cereal is a source of essential amino acids such as isoleucine and valine. Their daily requirement can be satisfied with 300 grams of the product. The composition also contains non-essential, but very important amino acids for life: glycine, arginine, tyrosine and glutamic acid
2. Vitamins. Wild rice is rich in B vitamins. A glass of grains can cover the daily requirement of a pregnant woman in folic acid (B9). It contains the fifth daily allowance vitamins PP, E, B2, B5 and B6. The concentration of biotin (vitamin H) is 550%.
3. Macronutrients. In 100 g of water rice, magnesium (45% of the daily norm) and potassium (17%) are in a significant dosage for the body.
4. trace elements. The daily requirement of silicon can be satisfied with just 15 grams of wild cereal, vanadium - 25 g, and boron - 30 g. large quantities cobalt is present (70% of the daily requirement). Manganese, phosphorus, copper, zinc and zirconium represent about 50% of the norm, and molybdenum and nickel about 20%. In a less significant dosage, iron, lithium, and strontium were noted.

But the benefits of wild rice are concentrated not only in its mineral composition, the nutritional value of this cereal is in a large amount of carbohydrates - 70%, and proteins - 15%. The rest are polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega 3. Dietary fiber makes up 6.5% of the mass of rice. They are a necessary component of normal digestion.

Positive influence

Rice of wild origin is especially important in the nutrition of athletes, pregnant women, people weakened by various diseases.

It is no coincidence that wild rice has become the basis of many modern diets. With a low calorie content, it is able to provide the body with almost all the necessary minerals and vitamins. Useful action is on the following systems:

• Digestive. Fiber, starch and pectin contribute to the normal digestion of food, cleansing the intestines from toxins, stagnant food particles. Regular consumption of black rice in small quantities helps to improve peristalsis.
• Cardiovascular. People suffering from atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and hypertension are advised to include wild rice in their diet, as it contains potassium and is practically devoid of sodium. Silicon helps to strengthen the walls of capillaries, normalize peripheral blood circulation as part of wild rice.
• Nervous. A high concentration of B vitamins and magnesium helps to normalize the functioning of the nervous system, improve sleep, and increase stress resistance. Black rice in the diet reduces the frequency of seizures and restlessness.
• The immune system. Omega-3, vitamins, mineral components have a strengthening effect on the immune system. Silicon is of great importance for the normal functioning of lymphocytes. Vanadium promotes the activation of phagocyte cells responsible for cleansing tissues and blood from pathogens.

metabolic processes

Water rice is able to influence metabolic processes. Vitamin H, which is a huge amount in this product, is responsible for the protein and fat balance, and is involved in the metabolism of sugars. Vitamin PP, which is also rich in cereals of wild origin, is involved in the oxidative process of fats.

Indispensable participants in the metabolic process are vitamins B6, B2 and B5, trace elements such as iron, zinc, selenium, boron, manganese, phosphorus and copper.

Contraindications and risk of abuse

All the harm of wild rice lies in the possible constipation that occurs when this product is abused. So, a diet on cereals alone can lead to obstruction. However, daily consumption of this product along with vegetables minimizes the risk of constipation.

In some sources, the content of strontium and arsenic in the composition is indicated as harm to black wild cereal, however, these substances are present in all products of plant origin and are involved in chemical processes organism. Thus, a lack of arsenic causes allergies to certain foods, and a deficiency of strontium causes brittle bones.

And for the most curious, we present a video in which you can see how wild rice is harvested:

Black rice is often called wild, chumiza, mogar or capitate millet. This culture hits the shelves of our country straight from China, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Malaysia and so on. Unfortunately, not all modern housewives know how to cook black rice. After all, such cereals are exotic for Russian residents. In this regard, in this article we decided to highlight this particular culinary topic.

Product General Information

Before telling you about how to cook black rice, you should tell what this cereal crop is in general.

This cereal is very beneficial for health. After all, it contains a huge amount of protein, essential amino acids and fiber. Moreover, black rice is an excellent source of vitamins B and E, as well as phosphorus.

The presented product is recommended to be used to strengthen blood vessels and arteries, as well as to prevent cancer. Among other things, such cereals have antimicrobial effect contributes to a noticeable increase in immunity and a decrease in blood pressure. In China, black rice is informally referred to as "longevity rice". In the Land of the Rising Sun, it is often used to improve vision, improve blood health and normalize the work of the adrenal glands.

Pre-treatment of cereals

Before cooking black rice for any dish, it should be processed very well. To do this, dry cereals must be sorted out, and then put into a deep cup and pour cold water. Next, you should wait a while until the rice settles to the bottom. This procedure needs to be repeated several times. Moreover, during each subsequent washing, the cereal must be strongly kneaded by hand. This procedure will allow not only to wash off all the existing dirt from the product, but also to remove excess starch, which contributes to the sticking of rice during its heat treatment.

It should also be noted that before cooking black rice, some housewives additionally soak it in clean cold water throughout the night. But if you do not have enough time for this, then you need to start boiling the cereal immediately after washing it.

Cooking on the stove

Boiling black rice is not as difficult as it seems from the very beginning. To do this, take a pan with a thick bottom and walls, pour a sufficient amount of filtered water into it, and then bring to a boil at maximum heat. Next, thoroughly washed wild black rice is required to be put into the boiling liquid. After boiling again, the fire must be reduced. Boil exotic cereals under a closed lid for about 25-27 minutes. In this case, you need to add a little salt to the pan.

After the rice has become completely soft, it should be discarded in a colander and rinsed well under cold water. If you expect to immediately serve it to the table as a side dish, then after washing we recommend scalding it with boiling water.

How to cook black rice in the form of porridge?

If you want to get not just cereal boiled in water, but a more viscous dish, then this ingredient should be prepared in a slightly different way. To do this, it is also necessary to rinse the product well, put it in a saucepan with a thick bottom, pour filtered water and add a little salt. In most recipes, the ratio of these ingredients should be 1:2. It is this number of components that will allow you to make a fairly viscous porridge.

Thus, after boiling the products, they should be covered with a lid, and the fire should be reduced to a minimum. It is desirable to cook black rice for about 30-37 minutes. During this time, the cereal should completely absorb water and become more loose. In this case, the rice may noticeably change in color and become purple.

After the specified time, the dishes with the dish must be removed from the stove and left under a closed lid for ¼ hours. During this time, the rice should completely reach. After that, it must be thoroughly mixed with a spoon so that the grains are slightly separated from each other. Ready porridge can be served at the table as a full hearty and healthy dish or as delicious side dish, which must be flavored with gravy, butter or goulash.

Step by Step Black Rice Recipes

We talked about how to properly boil wild rice above. But far from always such a product is used to serve it to the table as a side dish. After all, there are quite a few recipes. various dishes, where boiled black rice is included only as a component. Below we will look at several ways to do this. delicious salad using this cereal, as well as oven-baked chicken and dessert.

Cooking salad with wild rice

Black rice, reviews of which are very diverse, goes well with any vegetables. That is why it is very often used to prepare various salads.

So to create delicious dish we will need:

• iceberg salad - a small fork;
• ripe tomatoes - 4 pcs.;
• large avocado - 1 pc.;
• juicy carrots - 1 pc.;
• red salad bulb - 1 head;
• black rice, pre-boiled - faceted glass;
• refined olive oil - 2 dessert spoons (for dressing);
• freshly squeezed lemon juice - 15 ml (for dressing);
• a mixture of peppers and black salt - apply to taste (for dressing).

Cooking method

How to prepare black rice for vegetable salad? Recipes for cooking dishes using this product require its preliminary boiling in salt water for 32-38 minutes. During this time, the dark grits should become completely soft.

So, in order to cook delicious food at home vegetable salad with wild rice, you must strictly follow all the requirements described below:

1. Drain the boiled black rice and shake it vigorously in a sieve.
2. Rinse iceberg lettuce and finely chop with a knife.
3. Peel the carrots and grate on a Korean grater.
4. Wash the tomatoes well and cut into cubes.
5. Peel the red onion and chop into half rings.
6. Rinse the avocado, remove the skin, remove the stone and cut into medium-sized cubes.

After all the steps described, you should take a deep bowl, put avocado cubes, black rice, tomatoes, red onions, carrots and chopped greens in it. Next, all the ingredients need to be seasoned with refined olive oil, a mixture of peppers, black salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Cooking the second dish in the oven

How else can black rice be used in cooking? Recipes of various dishes use this cereal in different ways. If you want to make a delicious roast, then we suggest using this ingredient as a filling. For this we need:

• large broiler chicken - 1 pc.;
• sour cream mayonnaise - 2 large spoons;
• a mixture of seasonings and spices, including salt - use at your discretion;
• pre-boiled wild rice - 2.4 cups;
• sweet bulbs - 3 pcs.;
• juicy carrots - 2 pcs.;
• sunflower oil - 35 ml.

Cooking process

To make such a dish, you need to wash a large broiler chicken well, and then generously grease it with a mixture of seasonings, spices, salt and mayonnaise. Next, the bird should be put aside and start preparing the filling. To do this, you need to peel the carrots and sweet onions, and then grate them and chop them accordingly. After that, the vegetables should be fried for sunflower oil to complete transparency. In conclusion, you need to add salt to the sautéed onions and carrots and lay out boiled wild rice. After mixing the ingredients together, you should start stuffing the chicken.

After the bird carcass is stuffed with cereals and browned vegetables, it must be placed on a baking sheet and baked in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees for 70-85 minutes.

The finished dish must be carefully removed from the oven, placed on a plate and presented to the table in its entirety.

Making delicious black rice dessert

Wild rice pudding is a traditional Thai dessert. This delicacy is prepared very quickly, but it turns out incredibly tasty. For it we need:

• black rice - about 150 g;
• drinking water - about 250 ml;
• granulated sugar - a couple of large spoons;
• corn starch - a large spoon;
• table salt - ¼ teaspoon;
• coconut oil - about 100 ml.

Dessert step by step

To prepare Thai pudding, we need not a very large amount of free time. And in order to noticeably speed up this process, we recommend that you strictly follow all the requirements described below:

1. Rinse wild rice well in cool water 4 or 5 times.
2. Steam the cereal in a double boiler for ¼ hour.
3. Transfer the product to a pot of boiling water and cook it for 13-15 minutes until it is completely soft.
4. Add sugar and salt to the rice, and then add cornstarch, pour in a little water and, stirring regularly, cook until the mass thickens.
5. Proceed heat treatment grits until it becomes so thick that it can be easily shaped into any stable shape.
6. Put the boiled cereal with sugar and salt on a plate, give it nice shape. To do this, it is recommended to use a special culinary ring.
7. Pour in coconut milk into a metal container, heat it up and beautifully pour over the finished dessert.

After all the steps have been completed, the saucer with the Thai dessert must be put in the refrigerator and kept in it for an hour. After the specified time has passed, the rice delicacy can be safely served at the table with tea or just like that.

Summing up

Now you know how to boil wild rice at home. It should be noted that, in addition to the described recipes, there is still a huge number various ways how you can use this cereal in cooking.