My favorite breakfast dish growing up was this salty porridge, a staple in South Indian cuisine. It gives me complete satisfaction on my down days and is similar to polenta but made with creamy wheat grain.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Additional Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 40 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ghee
- 1 cup uncooked creamy wheat cereal, not instant (such as Cream of Wheat®)
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 2 dried chile de arbol peppers, stemmed
- 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 10 medium fresh curry leaves (Optional)
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup water (Optional)
Instructions
- Melt 1/4 cup ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in creamy wheat cereal; toast, stirring frequently, until light brown and nutty-smelling, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons ghee in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds; cover and wait until seeds stop popping (like popcorn), about 30 seconds. Add cashews and chiles; stir-fry until nuts are golden brown and chiles blacken, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in carrot, peas, curry leaves, and turmeric; stir-fry about 2 minutes. Stir in 3 cups water and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until carrots are fork-tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in toasted cream of wheat. (It will instantly absorb liquid and begin to swell.) Cover and cook until fully softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in remaining 1/4 cup water if desired for a creamier texture. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve warm.
- You can find fresh curry leaves, part of the citrus family, in the produce aisle at Indian grocery stores, health food stores, or Southeast Asian markets. They’re also sometimes sold frozen or dried. People typically eat around them or remove them if they are used whole in a recipe, but they can be consumed if chopped up. There’s really not a good substitute for curry leaves, so if you don’t have them, just leave them out.
- This is part of a special feature in our February-March 2022 magazine issue. See the magazine for more recipes!