quinoa porridge

quinoa porridge
serves 2

My sister, Batgirl is more into skiing than cooking. But every now and then she will surprise me with a great idea. Like this quinoa porridge. I’ve gone for an all-milk affair but feel free to be more moderate like Batgirl and stick to half milk half water.

1/2 cup (110g) quinoa, well rinsed
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cinnamon stick
yoghurt, to serve
sunflower seeds, to serve

1. Place quinoa, cinnamon and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.

2. Simmer on a low heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring every now and then and making sure the mixture doesn’t boil over.

3. If the mixture dries out add more milk or a little water.

4. When the quinoa is tender but still a little chewy, remove from the heat and serve topped with yoghurt and sunflower seeds.

prepare ahead?

Absolutely, just reheat with a little milk. If you like to keep your options open, you could boil quinoa in water like pasta for about 15 minutes and drain when tender then keep in the fridge and reheat with plenty of milk. OR use it for savoury things like salads.

leftover potential

Great! Will keep in the fridge for at least a week.

variations for fun

vegan / dairy-free – use soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk or a combination of any of these instead of the cows milk.

savoury – as I mentioned in the prepare ahead section, you could cook up a batch of quinoa just boiling it in water like pasta. Then either using it for porridge or dressing with your favourite savoury dressing for a lovely salad.

budget – use rolled oats or brown rice instead of the quinoa.

black quinoa -I used a micture of white and red quinoa in the photo but you could also use black quinoa for a really dramatic breakfast.

seed-free – skip the sunflower seeds or replace with chopped dried fruit.

problem solving guide

too bland? Porridge isn’t exactly meant to be a flavour explosion but if you find it too bland, a little dried fruit or honey may help the situation.

too crunchy – a sign of undercooked quinoa. Add back to the pan with some water or milk and simmer for another 5 minutes or so.

burnt / boiling over – one of the downsides to making porridge with lots of milk is that is has a tendency to boil over or stick on the bottom and burn. A regular stir and keeping an eye on the temperature will keep it all under control.

serving suggestions

Great as a breakfast on its own.

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