During the cold winter months there is nothing better than starting the day with a bowl of something warm. As much as I love porridge, I felt like we could do with some more options to mix things up a bit. This millet porridge is made with rice milk for a little extra sweetness and makes a great breakfast or pudding. I’m all for seasonal fruit and this recipe works equally great with the strawberry jam made from frozen fruit (strawberry, raspberry or a mix of the two) if fresh berries aren’t in season quite yet.
How you do it:
For the jam (best made the night before):
- Roughly 10 very ripe strawberries (if you use frozen ones make sure they are fully defrosted, this can be done in the microwave) – washed, stalks removed and cut into pieces
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or more if you like it a little sweeter)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
For the porridge:
- 300g millet – rinsed
- 1L rice milk
- 1 tsp of vanilla essence or one vanilla pod
- 6 tbsp coconut yogurt – mix around 3tbs of it into the porridge and add a dollop on top when serving
- A few strawberries (or any berry of choice) to decorate
How you do it:
Start by making the strawberry jam.
With a handheld blender puree the strawberries until smooth, then add maple syrup and chia seeds.
Mix, cover and put in the fridge to set over night.
Alternatively you can heat the strawberries in a little pan (adding a dash of water if necessary), puree and add maple syrup and chia seeds while still simmering.
This will speed up the thickening process and the jam tastes extra delicious when served hot.
For the porridge start by rinsing the millet before heating it up in a non stick pan, gradually adding the rice milk.
Cover and simmer on low heat, stirring regularly to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
If you use a vanilla pod slice it in half and simmer it with the millet.
After about 30 minutes the millet should be soft and the rice milk almost entirely absorbed.
Add the vanilla essence (if you haven’t used fresh vanilla), the coconut yogurt and a few spoons of your strawberry jam and give it a good stir.
Serve with fresh berries, a dollop of coconut yogurt and a generous spoonful of strawberry jam.
*Any leftover strawberry jam tastes great on toast or added to any berry smoothie.
