Brown and Wild Rice with Fried Corn

Sweet corn fried in bacon fat is an old treat down south, but it's plenty tasty fried in plain old butter for us vegetarians as well. Add to a pot of hot cooked brown and wild rice for a warm and earthy, slightly sweet and salty dish that will look lovely on a fall table.

This is my contribution to JFI, hosted this time around by Suganya of Tasty Palettes. The theme this month is whole grains.

Brown and wild rice with fried corn

1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup wild rice
2 1/2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ear of sweet corn
1 green onion, both white and green parts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Rinse the brown rice under running water and soak overnight in a medium saucepan in 2 1/2 cups of cold water. The next day, rinse the wild rice under running water and add to the brown rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Scrape the kernels from the corn cob. After the rice has been cooking for about 10 minutes, melt the butter over medium heat in a frying pan. Add the corn and the white parts of the green onion, and stir fry for 15-20 minutes until the corn is well browned and beginning to pop. Remove from heat.

Once the rice has cooked for 30 minutes, turn off the heat and stir in the corn, onion and butter into the warm cooked rice. Stir in the green parts of the green onion and salt to taste, and cover the pan again for 10 minutes to let any remaining liquid absorb.

Fluff with a fork and serve. Serves 4.