The beloved porridge

Porridge was a staple food in much of Northern Europe and Russia. It was often made from barley, although other grains and yellow peas could be used, depending on local conditions. It was primarily a savory dish with meat, root crops, vegetables and herbs added for flavor.

Porridge was also commonly served at breakfast for inmates in the British penitentiary system in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Returning to the present, it is also one of my favorites when it comes to breakfast. It is extremely easy to prepare, it keeps you full for a long period of time, it is cheap, it has great nutritional values and extremely versatile! You can decorate it in an infinite number of ways and combine a large variety of flavors which can lead to different results... You just can never get bored of it!

Step one

Is to decide on your grains. Some of the grains used include oats, rice, wheat, barley, corn, millet, amaranth, buckwheat etc. So if you have a gluten allergy or simply don't like oats, there are plenty of other options for you to enjoy a porridge! But if you do choose oats, below there are the most common used options:

Steel cut oats: Steel cut oats are the least processed and therefore maintain the best texture when cooked. They also take the longest amount of time to cook (about 25-30 minutes)

Rolled oats: The oats are steamed and pressed flat. If you are in a hurry and need your breakfast in a few minutes, rolled oats are reliable option. They are also my favorite for baking (steel cut oats stay way too crunchy). They take about 7-10 minutes to cook.

Instant oats: The grain is the most processed out of all. These are rolled oats that are cut into small pieces and by the time you heat them, they lose all their texture. You can use them for baking if you don't want to feel the grain but I recommend you to blend the rolled oats for this. You can microwave them but again, the texture is really mushy. They take 2-3 minutes to cook on the stove and 1-2 in the microwave.

I personally use oats, especially rolled oats (also called old-fashioned oats) mainly because they cook faster than steel cut oats but have a better texture than instant oats. So it's a compromise between the two extremes.

Step two

Choosing the liquid. You can use cow milk or any type of plant milk (almond, oat, coconut..) or even plain water if you want to be in a calorie deficit or simply don't want to alter the taste of the grains. So it is perfect if you are vegan or have lactose intolerance!

Quantities

Regarding the measures it is just as easy. I find 50g of grains the most adequate quantity per portion. Then you have to think about how runny or thick you want your porridge to be. I personally like it rather thicker than fluid so I use 200ml of liquid (100ml milk+100ml water, 2000 milk or 150ml+water500ml milk, in total I have 200ml). So the ratio is 1dry:4wet. If you prefer it a little runnier, 1dry:5wet feels just perfect. It really is a matter of taste!

Step three

In a small saucepan pour the ingredients from above on medium heat. Make sure that you constantly stir so it does not stick to the pan. Now you can add some sweetener, cinnamon, a pinch of salt (very important in my opinion) or even cocoa powder if you are a big chocolate lover. After 7-10 minutes (for the rolled oats!) it should be cooked, pour it in a bowl and let the decorating begin with whatever your soul desires!

Don't worry if it does not look thick enough, while you decorate it and cools in the bowl, it will definitely thicken.

Step four

Now the fun part: toppings. There is absolutely no rule regarding how you should decorate your bowl. The kitchen is like a playground for me. I always enjoy to experiment and try new things, combine different cuisines and flavors. And that's what you should try too! To give you some inspiration I grouped by categories the aliments that I find more suitable as toppings:

· Fruits: grapes, banana, apple, kiwi, cherries, berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries…)

· Dried fruits: raisins, dates, goji berries, figs, dried apricots

· Nuts and seeds: walnuts, pecans, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds

· Nut butter: peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter

· Sweetener: honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, chocolate syrup, jam

· Others: coconut flakes, coconut chips, almond flakes, cocoa nibs, bee pollen, chocolate

I will next show you a few of my favorite porridges as inspiration! (in no particular order, I love them all equally :))

1. The classic: with strawberries, banana, peanut butter and chocolate chips.

2. Exotic porridge: with mango, pineapple and coconut chips

3. Valentine's Day edition: with raspberries, cashews, coconut yogurt and pitted dates (you can also hide a small chocolate square in the the porridge and while you dig in with your spoon, you find it!)

4. Cozy autumn porridge: with caramelized apple, roasted pecans, raisins, yogurt and peanut butter

5. For chocolate lovers: cocoa base, chocolate squares and orange

Now it is your time to play and discover new, unique combinations! Hope you found this information useful and the next morning you wake up you will get away from the everyday life for 15 minutes and let your imagination run wild a little bit!

Enjoy,

Yasmina