Teach and Taste: Healthy-ish Psiŋ (Wild Rice) Hotdish
In the Dakota language, the word for wild rice is “Psiŋ.” Psin can be found in many bodies of water throughout Minnesota including lakes and is usually harvested in late August and September. In this September’s Teach and Taste cooking lesson, we celebrate Psiŋhnaketu–Wild Rice Storing Moon–with a healthy-ish psin hotdish.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups wild rice
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup chopped leeks
- ½ cup chopped celery
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound ground bison, beef, or turkey
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- In a large strainer, rinse wild rice until the water runs almost clear. Add wild rice to a large mixing bowl filled with clean water and soak for at least 4 hours.
- Drain wild rice and add to a large stockpot. Add chicken stock or broth and enough water to cover wild rice by one inch. Boil rice for 45-60 minutes, until rice is mostly puffed up and open. Add more water if rice is too dry. Once cooked, drain and pour rice into a bowl, and set aside.
- Add butter and olive oil to a large sauté pan on medium heat. After the butter melts and starts to foam, add onion, carrots, leeks, and celery. Lightly salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Remove from heat, pour mixture into a separate bowl, and set aside.
- In the same sauté pan, brown ground meat of your choice over medium heat. When meat is almost cooked, add 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, paprika, and cumin and sauté until fragrant. Add garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Then, stir in wild rice and sautéed vegetable mixture. Add ¼-cup cilantro and stir for another 1-2 minutes, until heated through.
- Serve, garnishing with remaining cilantro and a drizzle of sriracha hot sauce, if desired.
