Coconut Millet Porridge

a delish winter breakfast with loads of variations

Millet is the grain most eaten by my immediate ancestors, and it’s the grain I digest most easily. Maybe that’s because it boasts four of the six tastes. Millet is mostly sweet, but also gives hints of salty, bitter, and astringent. In other words: it’s pretty good for you compared to other grains.

This porridge has many possible variations. Well, that’s the nature of porridge. I’ve put a big old list of them at the end. Enjoy!

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened milk or milk alternative

• ¾ cup coconut milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons or more of maple syrup or sweetener of your choice

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 2 cups cooked millet

• 5 tablespoons unsweetened flaked coconut

• 2 tablespoons chopped nuts of your choice. I like toasted hazelnuts.

Instructions

1. In a saucepan whisk together milk, coconut milk, vanilla, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and cardamom.

2. Stir in millet and 3 tablespoons of the coconut flakes.

3. Bring to a boil, and lower to simmer.

4. Simmer for 10 or so minutes—stirring regularly and breaking up any clumps of millet—until thickened.

5. Toast remaining coconut flakes if desired.

6. Remove from heat and serve with chopped nuts and the toasted coconut flakes.

Options

• Instead of mixing canned coconut milk with cow or plant-based milks, you can use a coconut plant-based milk or mixture. For instance, I use a cashew-coconut milk that’s available in grocery stores where I live.

• Stir in a beaten egg in the final moments of cooking for extra protein.

• Add protein powder — you’ll need to add more liquid to the porridge to accommodate this.

• Leave out the salt, and slice some sausage into the porridge while cooking.

• Cook bacon strips until crispy and cut into pieces. Top off your porridge with the bacon, and add some extra maple syrup on top.

• Whisk an egg or two and pan fry separately in the shape of a large flat omelette. Slide from the pan onto cutting board, and slice into “noodles.” Leave out the maple syrup when cooking your porridge. Add ghee and a little extra salt after you put your porridge into your bowl. Top with the egg noodles for a savory breakfast.

• Add a tablespoon or two of tahini.

• Add saffron and / or turmeric powder.

• Add goji berries and / or raisins and / or diced apple.

• Top with fresh blueberries or other fruit.

• Top with a dollop of crema or creme fraiche.

• Top with ghee or coconut oil.

• Top with vanilla syrup or maple syrup if you like extra sweetness.

with infinite love,

Shambhavi

Want more? Please join me and the Jaya Kula community for satsang & kirtan every Sunday at 3:30pm Pacific. Come in person to 1215 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR, or join the Jaya Kula News Facebook group to get the Zoom link for satsang. You can also listen to my podcast—Satsang with Shambhavi—wherever podcasts are found.