Wild Rice Chowder with Fresh Coconut and Mushrooms

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 Mushrooms

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on October 18, 2009 Thick, warming and nourishing wild rice soup with coconut and mushrooms — a wonderful winter soup Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked wild rice 4 cups water 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 bay leaves 1 oz (28 g) dried mushrooms (I used lobster and chanterelle) 2 heaping tablespoons chickpea flour (besan) or unbleached white flour 3/4 cup milk 3/4 cup plain yogurt 2 tablespoons olive oil small bunch of green onions, finely chopped 1 large shallot, finely chopped 2 to 3 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/3 cup fresh grated coconut 1 teaspoon of celery seed fresh ground black pepper to taste Instructions: Rinse the wild rice and transfer to a medium saucepan. Pour in the water and add the salt and bay leaves. Bring to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and begins to fluff up — about 50 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. While the rice is cooking, soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain, roughly chop, and set aside. Whisk the flour, milk and yogurt together until smooth. Set aside. When the rice is cooked, heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the green onions and shallots, and stir for a few minutes to soften. Add the mushrooms, jalapeños, turmeric, and fresh coconut, and stir for another minute. Pour in the wild rice, add the celery seed, and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. Stir in the flour, milk and yogurt mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes. If the soup appears too thick, add water or more milk to reach your desired consistency. Add plenty of fresh ground black pepper and more salt if desired at the end of the cooking time. Discard the bay leaves and serve hot. Makes 4 servings

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