Hana porridge
I'm a big fan of traditional rolled oats, cooked slowly with milk (or cream), sugar and a good pinch of salt and served piping hot with brown sugar and even more milk. I've never been one to mix raisins or sultanas or coconut into my less than vanilla flavoured porridge, I just like it straight up.
My brother-in-law produces a range of breakfast cereals here in Australia, it's Kapai Puku, which is taken from the Maori words which translate into "good stomach". His tag line when he started this business about 10 years ago was "The best shit" and the proof is in the eating.
Kapai Puku now has just introduced a new breakfast porridge "Hana" which dropped into my hands last weekend when we were in Melbourne. It has a quinoa base with other delicious seeds and nutritious ingredients. I made a quinoa porridge last year from a recipe I found in one of my favourite mags - it was good, but it didn't have me coming back for more, and it took over half an hour to make which is just too long to wait for brekkie. So, how was I going to cook this? It's so different to rolled oats.
Years ago I did a series of Ayurvedic cooking classes and we made a delicious semolina halva. For those not familiar with Ayurvedic cooking or Ayurvedic medicine I hope this helps ... "Ayurveda is an ancient healing tradition that views a person's physical and emotional well-being as being based on the proper balance of vital energies." It's a traditional form of Indian medicine, and without two much guessing, I'm attracted to the food side of it.
I decided to to take a crack at making my Hana porridge along the same lines at the semolina halva, and it's a winner. So much so, that my husband, who has never touched porridge since boarding school days, now asks for it for breakfast! And that's such a great feeling ... because left to his own devices his breakfast would consist solely of 2-3 cups of strong coffee.
My version of Hana porridge is packed with fresh ground and toasted spices and delicious medjool dates, so be prepared to have your taste buds lifted. The spices I've used are designed to promote circulation and general blood flow, perfect for the warm winter mornings. Ayurvedic cooking principles also stress that cooking should be done gently, with love and without haste; so for those who like a quick microwaved porridge, this takes not too much longer and is way better.
Apologies in advance if you're not in Australia which is where Kapai Puku Hana Porridge is sold, but you can buy online or drop me a note and I'll see if Graeme at Kapai Puku can send you a sample. Those folks in Aussie, try your local health food store or my favourite, David Jones food hall.
Here's the quick run down of making a nourishing, warm Hana porridge, and above, the not so delightful looking photo of the finished product ... it is porridge guys!
Toasting the spices
Get started by roughly grinding some cloves and green cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar. You can use pre-ground spices it's entirely up to you and what you have available. Dry roast these off in a pan with some cinnamon bark and then add mixed spice (just for a general rounding off). You can add freshly ground ginger later as an option, you just don't want to be dry roasting it. You can tell when the spices are roasted, they'll be really fragrant and the pan should just start to let off a bit of smoke.
Add the Hana Porridge
Add the Hana porridge and roast this for a few minutes until the colour changes slightly and you can hear all the seeds starting to pop. You'll soon be able to smell the change in the ingredients. Be careful not to give it too much colour though.
The porridge then comes together when you add milk and water, and chopped dates which add sweetness and even more flavour. The ratio of liquid to dry ingredients is about 1:4.
Stirring through the liquid
It will take around 5 minutes for the liquid to all be absorbed into the porridge, and you'll have more than double the amount in the pan than when you started. You'll be able to tell when the porridge is ready, it will come together easily and there won't be any liquid (of course, if the grains are still hard, add more liquid and keep stirring). Recipe below.
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Spiced Kapai Puku Hana Porridge with Medjool Dates
5-6 whole cloves
5-6 whole green cardamon pods
2-3 sticks cinnamon bark (or use cinnamon quills)
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 cup Kapai Puku Hana Porridge
4 large medjool dates, chopped (or other good quality dates)
1 cup full cream milk
1 cup water
Serves 2
Grind the cloves and cardamon pods in a pestle and mortar discarding the husks from the cardamon pods. Add to a pan along with cinnamon bark and roast for 2-3 minutes on a medium heat until fragrant. Add mixed spice and Hana porridge and gently roast for 2-3 minutes until slightly brown and seeds start to pop.
Remove from the heat and add the milk and water along with the chopped dates and stir thoroughly until a smooth consistency. Add back to a medium heat and stir slowly for around 4-5 minutes until all liquid has been absorbed and porridge is cooked through.
Serve in warm bowls and eat as is or top with toasted almonds and more chopped dates.
Bon Appetite!
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