Wild Rice Chowder with Fresh Coconut and Mushrooms

Jacqueline put the call out for pantry staples for this month's No Croutons Required. Though I have staples on hand at all times, this did prove to be a challenge, as I often plan meals ahead of time and send my sweetie off to our favorite haunts to pick up requisite ingredients, sometimes at short notice. I appreciate the inspiration, especially when the weather outside is less than inviting.

This cold weather recipe was inspired by a recipe for Wild Rice Chowder found in World Vegetarian Classics: Over 200 Essential International Recipes for the Modern Kitchen by Celia Brooks Brown.

Wild Rice Chowder with Fresh Coconut and Dried Mushrooms

1 cup of wild rice
4 cups of water
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
small bunch of green onions, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 - 3 jalapeno peppers, minced
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
28 grams of dried mushrooms (I used a combination of lobster and chanterelle)
1/3 cup of freshly grated coconut
1 teaspoon of celery seed
2 heaping tablespoons of chickpea flour (or unbleached white flour)
3/4 cup of milk
3/4 cup of yogurt (I used goat milk yogurt)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse the wild rice in a strainer. Transfer to a medium heavy bottom pot, along with the water, bay leaves and sea salt. Bring to boil, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender and begins to fluff up - roughly 50 minutes. Set aside with the cooking liquid.

While the rice is cooking, soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for roughly 20 minutes. Drain, roughly chop the mushrooms and set aside.

Whisk the yogurt, milk and chickpea flour together until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the green onions and shallots to the pan. Stir and fry for a few minutes. Now add the turmeric, jalapenos, mushrooms and fresh coconut. Stir and fry for another minute or so. Pour in the wild rice and it's cooking liquid, add the celery seed and stir and simmer until it thickens a bit. Add the yogurt and milk to the pot, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low, simmering, uncovered for another 5 minutes or so. Add water or more milk or yogurt to reach your desired consistency.

Add lots of freshly cracked black pepper, and more sea salt at the end of the cooking time after testing the seasonings. Remove bay leaves and serve hot.

More ideas for wild rice from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Cranberry Wild Rice Soup
Pine Nut and Orange Wild Rice
Wild Rice and Portobello Mushroom Soup
Wild Rice and Asparagus Salad

On the top of the reading stack: Castle to Castle by Louis-Ferdinand Celine

Audio accompaniment: Miniatures by Matthew Robert Cooper