Yamuna Devi's Pine Nut and Orange Wild Rice

Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while will undoubtedly have come across at one time or another one of my recommendations for Yamuna Devi's cookbooks, in particular her hefty compilation of authentic and extraordinary Indian vegetarian recipes in Lord Krishna's Cuisine — a timeless cooking classic if there ever was one. I'll always be devoted to that book more than any other for awakening a genuine love for delicious and quality food, but I'm fortunate to own a copy of a later book — Yamuna's Table — in which she departs from traditional Indian fare but uses that knowledge to come up with some astonishingly creative and tasty modern dishes that are in many cases the equal of the old classics.

One of these is this exquisite pine nut and wild rice pilaf tinged with just the right amount of orange for a light, refreshing and flavourful summer side dish. Serve on a patio, at a picnic, or just at home — everyone will love it. I reproduce the recipe almost exactly as found in the book, partly because it's too good to change in any way except possibly to add a few more pine nuts or jalapeños as your taste goes, but also because the book appears unfortunately to be out of print. But there are usually a few used copies lying around for the lucky ones.

Yamuna Devi's pine nut and orange wild rice

1/2 cup wild rice
1 cup basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup dried currants
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespooon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and slivered

Rinse the wild rice and basmati rice separately under cold running water and let the basmati rice air dry in a strainer for half an hour or longer. Bring 1 1/3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the wild rice, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the grains are just tender but not falling apart. Remove from heat and drain off any excess liquid. Set aside.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat in a small frying pan until golden brown. Set aside.

When the basmati rice is dry, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over just less than medium heat. Toss in the basmati rice, pine nuts, currants, parsley, and orange zest. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to coat the rice grains with oil. Add 1 2/3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let cook undisturbed for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Add the wild rice, orange juice, salt, pepper, and jalapeños and gently mix. Serve hot, warm or cold. Serves 6 to 8.