Wild Rice Pilaf Recipe

If there's one humble ingredient with universal appeal, it's rice. Rice is an abundant crop that grows well in multiple climates, making it available to a large percentage of the world's population. Depending on where you live (or perhaps where you travel), you'll find unique recipes that feature rice as base ingredient. Even though plain rice has its place on plates across the globe, elevated versions have emerged that capitalize on rice's naturally mild flavor, while providing plenty of other ingredients and different textures.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for wild rice pilaf and says, "Sweet and savory is one of my favorite food combos and in this recipe, I'm bringing in some sweet and juicy grapes to pair with savory wild rice. The grapes along with toasted almonds elevate the rice to fancy status and can go from a weeknight dinner to a holiday celebration." Read on to learn how to fluff up some extra special rice!

Wild rice is the star of the show here, though you'll also need a shallot and seedless purple grapes. "If you have a red onion on hand, you can substitute that for the shallot and this recipe will also work with green grapes," Hahn says. Then a few other basics like butter, salt, pepper, water, and slivered almonds will round out the dish. "If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can use dairy-free butter and if you want to make it nut free, you can use toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds," Hahn shares.

To start, put the rice into a colander and rinse it under cold water for 1 minute. The rinsing step is very important to remove any excess starch to help give us a finished rice where the individual grains are separated and not stuck together. After rinsing the rice, dice up the shallot.

Then add 1 tablespoon butter to a small pot and bring the heat to medium high. Add the diced shallot and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the rice and stir for 3 minutes to toast it. "The toasting of the rice is another fool proof way to ensure your rice doesn't stick together," Hahn shares.

Now that the rice is toasted and smelling rather savory, add the remaining butter, salt, pepper, and the water. Stir gently, then bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 45 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the rice from the heat and let it sit undisturbed for 10 more minutes to steam and finish cooking.

While the rice is steaming, slice the grapes in half. Then combine the rice, grapes, and almonds. Top with chopped parsley if desired.

This dish pairs well with so many things like this grilled tandoori chicken or this easy meatloaf recipe. "The rice will last fine for a few days in the fridge, and you can heat it up in the stove or microwave. Just add a little water to the dish you are using to reheat it in to add a little moisture," Hahn recommends.