With winter fast approaching it is nice to have some “hot porridge” recipes up your sleeve. I have always loved my oats, but not everyone can enjoy them. So when I was asked for some help to convert a quinoa porridge recipe (see here) to the Thermomix I mistakenly thought “no problem, this will only take a minute”!
Well, it did take more than a minute, and more than four attempts to get it right.
My first issue was using regular milk to cook the quinoa in as I don’t use nut milks (as per the original recipe). So as regular milk boils “upwards” at 100 degrees (which I needed to cook the quinoa properly) there is the potential for an overflow, so I had to cook the quinoa at 90 degrees for a longer period which is not great for a morning routine.
I then soaked the quinoa overnight to see if there was any reduction in the cooking time, and to be honest it made little difference … I still had to cook the quinoa at the lower temperature for longer.
As part of my research to find a solution to the “milk boiling up” issue, I checked other sites to see what process they followed and found two recipes … I tried both and in each case the milk boiled up and over onto the ™ lid, and whilst it didn’t worry me as I knew it was safe, I felt it would worry others so I wasn’t comfortable using those recipes as a guide.
What I did find great though (and a good time to clean the Thermomix and put side) is the time to allow the porridge to “rest” for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, ideally in a Thermoserver to keep warm, to absorb some of the remaining fluid making it truly luscious. This is therefore the perfect time to get your cuppa ready to have with your quinoa brekkie.
Finally today I made the porridge with a combination of coconut milk and water and hey presto … it is perfect! In fact it is so delicious I would definitely do this in future instead of using regular milk.
This is a rich porridge, so I like to top it with fruit (stewed rhubarb … see here … would be amazing, or if you like berries consider having some Roasted Mixed Berries … see here … on hand) to help offset the richness … in the photo I used frozen raspberries and blueberries along with a dash of cinnamon and it was fabulous … in fact I had to put the container away otherwise I could have continued eating the lot!
For extra flavour the vanilla bean paste and maple syrup adds another dimension, and in the back of my mind I thought that if I was still working I would definitely consider taking this to work for lunch! It is very transportable and just as delicious cold with the right proportion of fruit and some yoghurt (coconut or otherwise) added. Which leads me to also believe that this would be a great “dessert” if placed into small glass dishes, and topped with fruit and coconut ice-cream before serving. If using it as a dessert I would also increase the vanilla bean paste to two teaspoons to add that little extra “something”.
For the coconut milk I used a 270g Ayam brand tin and it was the perfect amount for the recipe.
Thank you so much Fil for asking me to check this out … I hope you like the result!
This is a rich porridge, so I like to top it with fruit (stewed rhubarb ... see main page for link ... would be amazing, or if you like berries consider having some Roasted Mixed Berries ... see main page for link ... on hand) to help offset the richness ... in the photo I used frozen raspberries and blueberries along with a dash of cinnamon and it was fabulous ... in fact I had to put the container away otherwise I could have continued eating the lot!
For extra flavour the vanilla bean paste and maple syrup adds another dimension, and in the back of my mind I thought that if I was still working I would definitely consider taking this to work for lunch! It is very transportable and just as delicious cold with the right proportion of fruit and some yoghurt (coconut or otherwise) added. Which leads me to also believe that this would be a great "dessert" if placed into small glass dishes, and topped with fruit and coconut ice-cream before serving. If using it as a dessert I would also increase the vanilla bean paste to two teaspoons to add that little extra "something".
For the coconut milk I used a 270g Ayam brand tin and it was the perfect amount for the recipe.
- 100g white quinoa
- 150g coconut milk + 100g for later
- 100g filtered water
- Pinch of sea salt flakes
- 100g coconut milk
- 20g pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or 2 tsp vanilla extract
- A few berries or other fruit of choice
- Sprinkle of ground cinnamon
- Place a fine metal sieve on top of your ™ bowl and weight in 100g quinoa
- Rinse the quinoa (still in the sieve) under running water
- Upturn sieve over ™ bowl and allow the rinsed quinoa to drop in ... tap the sieve to ensure all the grains have dislodged
- Add the first lot of coconut milk (150g), water and salt and cook 15 minutes / 100 degrees / reverse / speed 1
- Scrape around ™ bowl
- Add the second lot of coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla of choice and cook 10 minutes / 90 degrees / reverse / speed 1
- Pour the porridge into a Thermoserver and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes (it will still look loose but will firm up a little whilst resting ... you want it to be "soupy" and not solid)
- Serve with fruit of choice and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon
Cath says
oh yum, I am going to make this tonight!!! Thanks again for an amazing recipe ♥
Cath says
this is sooooooo yummy! I did find that the quinoa was not quite cooked, would this depend on the brand? or does it finish cooking while resting? (if I can wait that long LOL ) it IS delicious!
Karen says
Wow, this is delicious, with a nutty flavour and an interesting texture! I served it with sliced banana, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a tiny drizzle of extra maple syrup. I will be interested to make it again and see what it is like cold.
Karen says
Hello again, I made this again this morning and tried to do 1.5 times the recipe, but it kind of boiled over out the top in the first cooking stage. I managed to contain it by putting the MC in on an angle and loosely covering the lid with a chux cloth, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend doing double the recipe!
Jo says
Thankyou Gina! I appreciate your attention to detail and visuals. I made this for breakie this morning and served with extra milk, coconut yoghurt (Vanilla Nudie), toasted slivered almonds, blueberries, a fresh fig and a little lemon zest. Next time, I would like to double this amount so I will have enough left over to last a few mornings! Thanks once again. Love your work xxx
Gina says
Jo … thank you so much for commenting … you have no idea how happy this makes me! Recipes are always just a guide and I love the additions you have to the porridge … they sound absolutely delicious! Think I will try them myself! xo Gina