This Cornmeal Patties with Wild Rice recipe is only 2 ingredients! They make a great appetizer when served with a delicious dip, or work as a replacement for bread at breakfast when topped with eggs or avocado. Use leftover wild rice for a quick and delicious traditional Indigenous-inspired dish.
While traditionally, coastal Indigenous groups thrived off salmon, seaweed and molluscs, in the prairies wild rice and corn were some of the staples in a traditional diet. This recipe for Two-Ingredient Cornmeal Patties with Wild Rice Recipe aims to marry these two traditional foods together for a simple side dish or appetizer.
Why I Made This Cornmeal Patties with Wild Rice Recipe
What Is Wild Rice?
This aquatic grass seed is actually not a rice at all but instead grows in the soils at the bottom of our own pristine lakes. It grows and reseeds itself naturally and does not require any fertilizers or pesticides. See my post My Top 5 Sustainable Canadian Foods for more information on wild rice.
Traditional Indigenous Harvesting Of Wild Rice
Traditional harvesting consisted of two women in a canoe in the shallow waters, one paddling and the other bending the grass over the canoe with a stick and lightly flaring the stalks to shakes the seeds into the boat. Harvesting generally takes place from August to September.
Traditionally the seeds would be dried in the sun or over a slow fire to crack open the hulls. Then, a ceremonial dance would be performed on the seeds to thrash them before being tossed into birch baskets in the breeze to separate the seed from chaff.
What Are The Health Benefits of Wild Rice?
It is a good source of protein, providing more protein and fibre than quinoa and as well as more B-vitamins, zinc and manganese. In traditional folk medicine, it was used as a diuretic, as a treatment for burns, heart ailments and digestive complaints. For more information on traditional Aboriginal Healing see my post here.
Corn Is A Traditional Indigenous Food
While corn was not traditionally harvested on the Pacific side of the continent, the plains First Nations began the horticulture of corn between the years of 800 and 1200 CE (AD) (1). Corn was an important staple that allowed for a stable and plentiful food source and allowed for trade.
Notes On Making This Cornmeal Patties with Wild Rice Recipe
Making Gluten-Free Cornmeal Patties with Wild Rice
Both wild rice and cornmeal are naturally gluten-free. You can purchase certified-gluten-free cornmeal to ensure that there has been no cross-contamination through the processing process.
This simple wild rice recipe combines these two traditional ingredients to make a tasty side that can go alongside some BBQ salmon and sautéed nettles at your next gathering.
Making Vegan Cornmeal Patties with Wild Rice
These patties can be made without eggs, and I find that if the wild rice is cooked well enough the patties will stick together without the use of eggs.
Adding Spices To These Cornmeal Patties with Wild Rice
You can add 1 teaspoon of rosemary or thyme to these patties, they even taste great with za’atar which is a Middle Eastern spice blend.
What To Serve These Wild Rice Patties With?
- A tasty side that can go alongside some BBQ salmon and sautéed nettles at your next gathering
- Use them as a replacement for English muffins and top them with poached eggs and a delicious sauce
- Serve them as an appetizer with sliced avocado on top
- Serve them with creamed cheese and smoked salmon
- Serve them topped with homemade pesto (like this Ultimate Vegan Pesto with Hemp)
Want Some More Wild Rice Recipes?
- I’ve shared my simple Breakfast Chia Pudding with Wild Rice
- Toasted wild rice can be seen on restaurant menus
- Use wild rice as a replacement for white rice
Did you make this Cornmeal Patties with Wild Rice Recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you! Share it on Pinterest and leave a comment below. Take a photo of your recreation on Instagram and tag me @theconsciousdietitian so I can see it!
Cornmeal Patties with Wild Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup cornmeal organic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 free-range egg optional
Instructions
- Rinse the wild rice, drain. Place in a saucepan with salt, bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for 50 minutes. The rice should be tender but not mushy.
- Next slowly add the cornmeal to the hot rice, stirring with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Heat up a frying pan to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil. You can semi-form a patty in your hand, though it will feel like it will fall apart. Don't worry, once it starts cooking it will bind together. Make the patties about 2 inches in diameter. You have the option of adding an egg here if you don't feel like the patties will stick together. Simply whisk an egg in a bowl, then add it to the rice and cornmeal mixture before frying.
- Make four patties in the first batch. Let cook for about 5 minutes on the first side, then flip over and let cook for another 5 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from the frying pan and let cool on some paper towel. Repeat with remaining oil and mixture. Serve with a mustard, or a mixture of mustard, chili and plain yogurt.
Notes
Make it Vegan: Omit the egg.
Complete the Meal: Serve it with fresh salmon and sauteed nettles.
Serve it as an Appetizer: Make a dipping sauce from plain yogurt, fresh dill or chili flakes, and lemon.
Nutrition
This article was written for Aboriginal Healthy Living Activities run by ISPARC and SportMedBC.
- Clearing The Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the loss of indigenous life. James Daschuk. 2019
Rachel Dickens, The Conscious Dietitian, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010 from Griffith University. She strives to provide evidence-based nutrition information with a focus on plant-based nutrition, and share some of her favourite seasonal recipes and sustainable eating tips.
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