Vegan Wild Rice Mushroom Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do I thicken my wild rice soup? ›

You'll need 1-2 tbsp of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of cool water. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add a little bit of the cornstarch slurry to the bubbly soup a few minutes before serving. Stir and allow it to come to a simmer, and watch it thicken.

The ingredients for this Chicken and Wild Rice Soup are simple, inexpensive and you probably have almost all of them on hand. If you don't have wild rice, it should be easy to pick up or you can substitute it with brown rice, or even white rice (my last choice) or pasta.

Can I sub a different kind of rice or a wild rice blend? Not really, no. Please use actual wild rice (affiliate link)! I know it's on the expensive side, and hard to find, and I'm normally all about the substitutions, but in this case, it is not the same.

Soup grade

Exactly what it sounds like. Soup grade wild rice is broken, cut, or in pieces so it can be added directly to soup while it cooks. As the cut grains differ in size, they'll also absorb water at a different rate. This is not for cooking on the stove top like typical wild rice, it will be mushy.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

The chief reason to rinse is to remove surface starch from rice grains, which can make them gummy as they cook. Soaking allows rice to absorb water, giving it a leg up on cooking. This helps it to have a better, more even texture, instead of drying out while the inside is not evenly steamed and fluffed.

white rice. When comparing wild, brown, and white rice for nutritional purposes, wild rice comes out on top. Wild rice has less calories, less fat, and less carbohydrates than both brown and white rice. It is also a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids.

Wild rice is a good source of Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA). Some research has indicated that ALA is beneficial to people with type 2 diabetes. It may boost the body's ability to produce insulin and reduce the symptoms of diabetic nerve damage. Like most grains, wild rice is highly effective when it comes to reducing hunger.

Because of its unique harvesting needs (learn more about it here), wild rice is significantly more expensive than brown rice. In fact, it's one of the most expensive grains. In Washington State, as of January 2023, wild rice costs $5.16 per pound and brown rice costs 80 cents a pound.

Why is wild rice not considered rice? ›

Wild rice is not a true rice but a species of grass. Cooked wild rice has about 30 per cent fewer calories than brown rice as well as 40 per cent more protein. It also contains more fibre, potassium and zinc.

Quinoa and wild rice are comparable in term of their nutritional benefits. Their vitamin and mineral contents are slightly different but one isn't necessarily healthier than the other. Eat both and get the best of both worlds.

Wild Rice Should Be Lighter in Color

That glossy deep black rice sure is pretty, but it's not wild. Black glossy rice is cultivated “paddy rice,” as Savage and others call it. Natural wild rice is a soft greyish brown and the grains are variegated in color.

In the United States the main producers are California and Minnesota (where it is the official state grain) and it is mainly cultivated in paddy fields.

My #1 tip for ensuring your rice doesn't get mushy in this soup is to use high quality rice. If you use minute rice, or any other type of par-boiled rice, it will turn out mushy! I am brand loyal to Lundberg Family Farms rice products, and find their California White Jasmine Rice is the best rice for this recipe.

Play with starchy ingredients

Chances are you'll have some pantry staples on hand, such as dried pasta, quinoa, rice, or beans. Depending on the soup you're making, these ingredients can add substance to an otherwise watery base.

Using Potatoes, Rice, Pasta, or Beans

If your pureed soup is still too thin, thickening it further is simply a matter of adding a neutral starch: Use cooked potatoes, rice, stale bread, mashed potatoes, or frozen hash browns. Just simmer briefly to release the starches and then puree. Don't overdo it, though.

Mix a small amount of cornstarch or flour with cold water to create a slurry. Slowly stir the slurry into the hot soup and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until it thickens. This method is useful for adjusting thickness without altering the flavor significantly.