Bored with breakfast? This local chef has an African twist on an old favourite
We're asking local chefs for easy and affordable meal ideas
While we wait out the pandemic, we're doing most of our cooking at home.
If you've run out of new and exciting meal ideas, you're not alone. We're asking local chefs for tips to spice up our recipe repertoire with affordable and easy meal ideas.
Here is a recipe for Fonio porridge. This tasty idea replaces oats with an ancient grain and adds some sweet spice to breakfast.
What you need
- 1/2 cup fonio grain
- 2 1/2 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 pieces cardamom seed
- 3 pieces clove
- some cheesecloth
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut milk (or regular milk)
Here's how Maryam makes it
Fill a sauce pan with 2 1/2 cups water and put on medium heat.
Wrap the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves in the cheesecloth, tie it and place in the water.
When the water starts to boil, slowly add the fonio grain a little bit at time, stirring to avoid lumps.
When all of the fonio is in, turn the heat to low and stir for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the coconut milk and let stand for 1 minute.
Now it's ready to serve with your favourite toppings.
What you'll end up with is a subtly sweet porridge akin to cream of wheat with a hint of smoke and spice.
Fonio is an ancient grain, dubbed a superfood, that can be found in bulk food stores and in most grocery stores, usually in the organic food section.
If you want to try this easy and tasty dish, make sure to use the fonio grain and not the fonio flour. They might be beside each other in the store, it's an easy mistake to make.
To get the right ratio of spices for this recipe, use whole pieces of spice instead of powdered spices.
Maryam did say that regular milk can be substituted at the very end of the recipe, but the coconut milk adds a real layer of texture and mild sweetness that takes the dish to another level.
If you are trying this with the coconut milk, heads up it is usually stocked alongside a huge variety of coconut water.
Be sure to check because the coconut milk is much thicker than the water and key for a creamy texture.
Listen to Maryam give the recipe