"Potatoes always understood the assignment"

• Bay leaves enhance the flavour and colour of any dish very quickly and deeply. Depending on your preference you may want to keep it in your soup right till the end, or you can remove it after letting it cook in your onions for a few minutes.
• This was the first time I cooked with wild rice, and I learned that what type of wild rice you used could change the estimation on how long it will take to cook in the soup, so keep an eye on it. Brown wild rice takes a bit longer to cook, compared to white wild rice. If you're using brown wild rice, you may need to add more chicken/vegetable stock and let it boil a bit longer, so the broth doesn't burn out.
• If you'd like to make this dish dairy-free as well, you can add more cornflour to thicken up the soup, and skip the fresh cream. The fresh cream will lighten the soup and make it creamier.
• You can use coconut cream instead of fresh cream, I haven't tried it for this particular recipe but it is another substitution option.

- METHOD WITH CHICKEN - 

1. Firstly, prep your main ingredients, wash and cube your chicken. Wash and slice your mushrooms, carrots, and onions as well. 
2. Next, marinate your cubed chicken in; red chilli paste, minced garlic, chicken spice, red chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric, ginger, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. 
3. In a deep pot, heat up your oil on medium heat, before adding the sliced onions, and bay leaf. 
4. Once your onions start to soften (do not let them caramelize), add in your marinated chicken. Let the chicken brown on each side for a few seconds, before turning down the heat and letting the chicken cook for around 5 minutes. At the 1 - 2 minutes mark, I actually remove the bay leaf, this is a personal preference, remember keeping the bay leaf in longer enhances the flavour and colour of the dish deeply and quickly.
5. Next, add in your prepped mushrooms, carrots, chicken or vegetable stock, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and your rinsed raw brown wild rice. I used brown wild rice so it does take a bit longer to soften up, hence the more stock. Give a quick taste, you may need to add more salt and pepper, depending on your preference.
6. Give a stir, turn the heat up to a medium, and bring to a boil. Let it boil for around 30 - 35 minutes, before adding in your cornflour, this will help thicken your soup. Keep checking on your rice to see if it has softened up, before lowering the heat to a medium-low. What type of wild rice you use could change the estimation of how long it will take to cook, so keep an eye on it. You may need to make a judgement call and add either more water or chicken/vegetable stock if you see your broth is burning out and your rice isn't soft - this is just a heads-up. 
7. Once your rice is cooked, add in your fresh cream. Depending on how creamy you'd prefer your soup add 1/2 - 1 cup. Let your soup boil for another 5 minutes on medium heat.If you'd like to have it dairy-free (as I mentioned in the tips) you can add more cornflour to your broth and let it boil till it thickens. 
8. Finally, garnish with some fresh parsley, and serve hot. 

- METHOD WITHOUT CHICKEN - 

1. Firstly, prep your main ingredients, wash and slice your mushrooms, carrots, and onions. 
2. In a deep pot, heat up your oil on medium heat, before adding the sliced onions, red chilli paste, minced garlic, chicken spice (optional), red chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric, ginger, salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, and bay leaf. 
3. Let the onions cook in the spices till they start to soften up, before turning the heat down low (do not let them caramelize). I actually remove the bay leaf before the next step, this is a personal preference, remember keeping the bay leaf in longer enhances the flavour and colour of the dish deeply and quickly.
4. Next, add your sliced mushrooms and carrots, vegetable stock, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and rinsed raw brown wild rice. I used brown wild rice so it does take a bit longer to soften up, hence the more stock. Give a quick taste, you may need to add more salt and pepper, depending on your preference.
5. Give a stir, turn the heat up to a medium, and bring to a boil. Let it boil for around 30 - 35 minutes, before adding in your cornflour, this will help thicken your soup. Keep checking on your rice to see if it has softened up, before lowering the heat to a medium-low. What type of wild rice you use could change the estimation of how long it will take to cook, so keep an eye on it. You may need to make a judgment call and add more water or vegetable stock if you see your broth burning out and your rice isn't soft - this is just a heads-up. 
6. Once your rice is cooked, add in your fresh cream - this is optional. Depending on how creamy you'd prefer your soup add 1/2 - 1 cup. Let your soup boil for another 5 minutes on medium heat. If you'd like to have it dairy-free (as I mentioned in the tips) you can add more cornflour to your broth and let it boil till it thickens. 
7. Finally, garnish with some fresh parsley, and serve hot. 

- PIN IT - 

• Boil some milk and water with a blob of butter.
• Than add a Tb or 2 of corn flour and parsley (for flavour) and boil till thick.
• You can add this to the pasta and mix well, and give a quick boil.