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Orange and Pecan-studded Canadian Wild Rice and Basmati Pilaff

Wild rice is the seed of an aquatic grass that grows in ponds, lakes and waterways of the USA and Canada. It is not actually a grain, but it is treated as such. It’s long, thin ash-brown to blackish grains cook to a chewy texture, with a slightly smoky flavour. Wild rice teams up very well with basmati rice, and in this recipe is joined by continental parsley, slivered toasted pecans, currants and orange zest. Serve as a side dish. Serves 6.

3¾ cups water
½ cup wild rice
1 cup basmati rice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup dried currants
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
3 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
1/3 cup pecan nuts, slivered lengthwise into 3 and pan-toasted
2 small green chilies, seeded and finely slivered
sprigs of continental parsley

Bring 2 cups water to the boil in a 1-litre/quart saucepan over full heat. Stir in the wild rice, reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the grains are tender. Do not allow the grains to split. Transfer the rice to a sieve and drain off the liquid. Set the rice aside.

Heat the olive oil in a 2-litre/quart saucepan over moderate heat. Add the basmati rice, and gently stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to break up the rice grains. Add the remaining 1¾ cups water to the saucepan and bring it to the boil. Add the salt, orange juice, black pepper and orange zest. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 18 minutes or until the rice is soft and dry. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

Fluff the rice gently with a fork. Add the wild rice, the chopped parsley, the pecan nuts, currants and chilies, and gently mix.

Serve immediately, garnished with the sprigs of continental parsley.

from "Vegetarian World Food" by Kurma Dasa, Chakra Press

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