How I cook porridge (and how to make it better)
Here are a few simple tricks I follow to cook healthy porridge, along with some extra healthy hacks I try when possible. Australia is getting some cold mornings now. So it’s a good time of year for wholesome hot breakfasts.
My favourite porridge flavour is apple-cinnamon. It’s partly simply because I like the taste but also because it uses accessible ingredients. I chop up little chunks of 1-3 apples to chuck into a pot. Then I add 1 or 2 mugs of oats (yes, mugs). This is because I usually cook meal-pre-style. Leftovers are crucial as I’m a parent and my life demands it. If you have steel-cut oats, that’s even better. If you can’t get those, a basic rolled oats will be fine. Anyway… pour in water at approximately triple the quantity of the oats. Could you do double? I usually want a bit more liquid than that.
Sprinkle some ground cinnamon for flavour early on. I like to add some now and some later. I got a bag of the Maharajah's Choice Cinnamon Powder because the 500 g should last a while. It is significantly cheaper than buying a little container whenever needing a top-up. Yes, a plastic-free world would be great. But it’s a bulk supply. That’s that.
Let these ingredients boil on high, bubble and then simmer on low. Wonderful. As that’s heating, glance at it when prepping the extras. We want some ground linseed. You can buy it already ground. If you buy whole linseeds, grind them up in a coffee grinder, Thermomix or other gadget that can break then down. It has to be a strong high-speed machine, I think. Grab some chia seeds and/or hemp seeds if you have them. Shop around for deals on these ingredients as they can cost a bit more.
Now is the time for a bit more of the original flavouring. Add a bit more ground cinnamon if you want. Here’s a little Easter-themed fun. Mix in some raisins or sultanas and “all spice.” The breakfast will taste like hot cross buns!
Chop some nuts to mix through the porridge. I most recently used Brazil nuts, walnuts and almonds. Use what you want. I just use a ‘chef’s knife’ and a chopping board. You could use a food processor for quick chopping if that’s your style.
Stir the nuts and seeds through the porridge. And extra ground cinnamon. Now, the final step would involve optional liquids. Monk fruit sweetener is meant to be brain-friendly, according to the Sherzai team. Honestly, sometimes I use a bit of maple syrup in moderation. But I should ease up on it. If you like a milky porridge (something I’m just not into), I would recommend soy milk. The fancy brands are meant to taste great. When I use soy milk for other things, I stick with So Good at the moment because it is accessible and fortified.
That’s pretty much everything I do for my porridge. You can customise porridge how you want. There are plenty of ways to flavour porridge or add extra nutritious ingredients. When keeping it basic, at least get apple and oats with any other healthy tasty ingredient. I have a few other favourite flavours like berry or cacao. I could share those another time.
A simple porridge can be delicious and nourishing. MSW
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