Millet Porridge with Strawberries and Blueberries
Already done your morning workout? Then it’s time for a sweet post-workout energy boost. This time with millet in the lead role and, as you know, I love it to bits. Let’s serve it with one of the best things summer has to offer, seasonal berries full of antioxidants. Enjoy.
Preparation
Before cooking, I rinsed the millet 1-2 times under cold running water. Then I cooked the millet in a plant-based drink (I chose the coconut option), according to the recipe on the package. I added a lot of fresh fruit. Finally, I topped it off with chopped nuts and a bit of coconut sugar.
Rinsing, and the step worth adding
Rinsing under cold water takes the dust and loose starch off the grains, and that is what the recipe calls for. There is one more step that costs nothing and changes the taste: after the cold rinse, pour boiling water from the kettle over the millet in the sieve and drain it straight away.
The reason is that the fats in the grain’s outer layer oxidise while the packet sits in a cupboard, and that is what makes some batches taste bitter. There is more on this in the warming millet with ghee recipe. The fresher the packet, the less it matters.
Cooking in a plant drink is not the same as cooking in water
A quarter cup of millet to three quarters of a cup of drink is roughly one to three, which is less liquid than millet usually takes, and that is because a porridge cooked in a plant drink is meant to finish thick rather than drink-like.
The catch is the bottom of the pan. Plant drinks contain sugars that catch and burn long before water would, so this needs low heat and a stir every couple of minutes, not a lid and fifteen minutes of neglect. A heavy-bottomed pan makes a visible difference. The package times are a guide rather than a rule, because they assume water: in a plant drink the grain usually needs a few minutes more and the pan needs watching throughout.
The berries go on, not in
Strawberries and blueberries are added to the finished porridge rather than cooked with the grain. Stirred into a hot pan they collapse within a minute, turn the whole bowl purple and lose the fresh, sharp taste that is the point of using them in season.
Frozen berries work out of season and are better added while the porridge is still hot, so they thaw in the bowl rather than sitting cold on top. Do not defrost them first: they release their juice and go to mush.
How sweet, and the topping
A pinch of coconut sugar is a deliberately light touch, because ripe summer berries carry most of the sweetness and a sweetened plant drink adds more. Taste the porridge before reaching for the sugar, especially if your drink is a flavoured one.
The walnuts go on at the table. Chopped rather than whole, they distribute better, and they soften within minutes in a hot bowl, which is the opposite of what they are there for. Toasting them dry in a pan for a minute first is worth the trouble.
Making it ahead
Cooked millet sets firm in the fridge, much more so than oats, so a portion kept for the next morning comes out as a solid block. Loosen it with a splash of the plant drink over low heat and stir until it comes back together. It keeps three days that way.
Keep the base plain if you are cooking for two days and add the fruit, nuts and sugar each morning. If you would rather have breakfasts like this one planned into the week with a shopping list, that is what the Diet & Training by Ann app does.
Millet porridge with berries
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse the millet once or twice under cold running water, then scald it with boiling water and drain.
- Cook the millet in the plant-based drink over low heat, stirring every couple of minutes so it does not catch on the bottom.
- Cook until the porridge is thick and creamy, a few minutes longer than the package time for water.
- Top with the fresh strawberries and blueberries.
- Finish with chopped walnuts and a pinch of coconut sugar at the table.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
Yes, once or twice under cold running water to take off the dust and loose starch. It is also worth pouring boiling water over the drained grains afterwards, because the fats in the outer layer oxidise in storage and that is what makes some batches taste bitter.
A quarter cup of millet to about three quarters of a cup of drink, roughly one to three. That is less liquid than millet takes in water, because this porridge is meant to finish thick rather than drink-like.
Because plant drinks contain sugars that burn long before water would. Cook on low heat, stir every couple of minutes, and use a heavy-bottomed pan. Package times assume water, so in a plant drink the grain usually needs a few minutes more.
No. Stirred into a hot pan they collapse within a minute and turn the whole bowl purple. Add them to the finished porridge. Frozen berries work out of season and go in while the porridge is still hot, without defrosting them first.
Yes, though cooked millet sets firm in the fridge, much more than oats, so a kept portion comes out as a solid block. Loosen it with a splash of plant drink over low heat. Keep the base plain and add the fruit, nuts and sugar each morning. Breakfasts like this one come planned into the week with a shopping list in the Diet & Training by Ann app.
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