Wild Rice and Mushroom Sliders

Wild rice and mushroom sliders are hearty, nutty, and will surely please your vegetarian and omnivore friends/families/guests.

Recently, I made Wild Rice and Mushroom Sliders featuring wild rice grown in the US and they turned out really exceptional – like crispy on the outside and chewy/hearty on the inside. I don’t make vegetarian burgers/sliders that often but the wild rice and mushroom sliders are going to be on repeat.

Wild rice is technically not a rice, but is a semi-aquatic grass native to North America (growing areas include California, Idaho, Minnesota, Oregon, and Wisconsin). Wild rice grains are long, slender, and dark brown and are 100% whole grain.

Once cooked, they have a cream-colored interior with a nutty flavor and chewy texture which makes them an ideal candidate for stuffing, salads, and soups, or burgers/sliders such as Wild rice and mushroom sliders.

How to cook wild rice?

Compared to regular rice, wild rice takes longer to cook anywhere between 45-60 mins using stovetop method. Pre-soaking wild rice ahead (1-2 hours prior) can cut down the cook time by 50%. 1 cup of uncooked wild rice yields 3 ½ cups of cooked wild rice.

Here is a quick guide on wild rice to water ratio to follow. Just follow the cooking instructions like you normally would with regular rice and adjust the liquid and time accordingly.

• Stovetop Method: The ratio of liquid to wild rice for cooking it on the stove top is 3 to 1 for cooking it on the stove top. Rice Cooker Method: 1 cup wild rice to 2 cups of liquid. Takes about 45-50 mins.
• Microwave: 1 cup wild rice to 3 cups of liquid. Microwave in full power for 5 minutes. Microwave on 50 percent power for 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes and taste: the wild rice should be tender. If it’s not, microwave in 2-minute increments until it is. Drain, if necessary.
• Instant Pot Method: 1 cup wild rice to 1 ⅓ cups of liquid. Set the Instant pot to presure cook (manual) mode at high pressure for 30 minutes.

Wild rice and mushroom sliders come together fairly quick with few ingredients which you may already have on hand. You can easily scale the recipe and freeze the extra for later.

• cooked wild rice
• fresh mushroom, chopped (single kind or a variety)
• egg, bread crumbs as a binder
• seasoning, herbs of choice and neutral oil to pan fry

WILD RICE AND MUSHROOM SLIDERS

For 8-10 sliders, you will need:

• 1 cup cooked California-grown wild rice (1 cup uncooked rice makes 3-3.5 cup cooked)
• 1 cup chopped mushroom ( I used shiitake mushroom as it has a meatier texture) 1/4 cup green onions
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup bread crumb
• small pinch of salt, pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoon neutral oil to cook

To assemble:

• 8-10 slider buns of your choice
• onion jam (or use a spread of your choice)
• lettuce, greens

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water about 4 cups water per 1 cup wild rice. Once boiling, reduce the heat and close the lid and cook the wild rice for 45-50 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool. You will only need 1 cup of cooked wild rice for this recipe. Reserve the rest for soups,salads etc.
2. In a medium bowl, add chopped mushroom, cooked wild rice, chopped green onions, eggs and mix it together. Add breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
3. Once removed from the fridge, the mixture should be slightly wet but still be able to form a shape.
4. Use 1/4 cup measuring spoon and form the wild rice and mushroom mixture into patties as shown in the video.
5. Heat a nonstick pan to medium and add 1-1.5 tablespoon oil, then fry the patties 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and crispy.
6. Serve with your choice of slider buns and toppings.