Stirring The Pot: Sweet Rice Flour Thickens It Up

Celiac.com 06/11/2022 - Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the glorious colors and cool, brisk nights. Inevitably, my thoughts turn to oven-baked meals, long-simmered stews, and hearty soups.

I’ve been making one of my favorite soups—Wild Rice Soup—for nearly 20 years. It was given to me by a friend when I lived in North Dakota (which is next door to Minnesota, the source of most of our wild rice in the U.S.). I tinkered with it for several years to convert it to my taste.

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Of course, in those days I thickened it with wheat flour. When I adopted a gluten-free diet, I had to find a new thickener. I’ve tried all the thickeners in this soup and I like sweet rice flour the best.

In case you haven’t worked with sweet rice flour, it should be on your pantry shelf. It may be a little hard to find in the health food store, so you may need to order it on the Internet. It is made from sticky rice, the kind you eat in Chinese restaurants and holds together when you pick it up with chopsticks.

Sweet rice flour is white and is particularly good in thick, hearty soups that need a rustic, yet smooth texture. Unlike regular white or brown rice flour, sweet rice flour makes a smooth rather than grainy sauce. It is opaque and dull, rather than the clear and shiny sauces produced by cornstarch or arrowroot. Somehow, a clear, shiny sauce in a hearty soup like this one seems out of place.

I also use sweet rice flour to thicken other hearty soups such as potato soup, clam chowder, and cream soups made from broccoli, corn, or mushrooms. I also use it in my pie crust (which rolls out like a dream) because it introduces a nice elasticity that makes the dough more pliable. So, you can see that I’m a big fan of sweet rice flour.

But back to soup and those brisk, Fall nights. This soup will stick to your ribs and is a great way to use leftover ham. It can be made ahead and then reheated, if necessary. Serve it with a crisp bread and crunchy salad for a complete meal.

Carol Fenster’s Wild Rice Soup Recipe

This is a rich-tasting, very satisfying soup with lots of interesting texture.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh onion
• 1/3 cup sweet rice flour
• 3 cups low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/3 cup shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup diced ham or Canadian-style bacon
• 3 tablespoons almond slivers, toasted
• 1 cup evaporated skim milk (or soy milk)
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped chives

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven, sauté onion in butter for a minute or until it is light golden brown. Place flour in 1⁄2 cup of chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Add to Dutch oven, along with remaining chicken broth.

2. Bring to boil and stir for one minute. Add cooked wild rice, salt, garlic, carrots, ham, and almonds and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Blend in milk. Heat soup to serving temperature and garnish with chives. Serves 6.

Calories 340; Fat 7g; Protein 19g; Carbohydrates 53g; Sodium 633mg; Cholesterol 16mg. Fiber 4g