Chocolate corn porridge

This porridge is based on a Mexican drink atole made with a type of cornmeal called masa harina. I did not have masa harina so I used ordinary cornmeal and made it the consistency of porridge rather than a thick drink. The chocolate flavoured version of atole is known as champurrado, which has spices added to it and is sweetened with piloncillo, which is similar to jaggery. In a manner similar to the chocolate porridge recipe on this blog, I added just a little chocolate and sweetener as a topping to avoid making it too rich for breakfast, while retaining the flavours in each mouthful. If jaggery is unavailable use brown sugar, the soft moist kind if possible so that it melts on top of the hot porridge and provides a toffee or caramel taste that complements the bittersweet chocolate.

Servings:1

Ingredients
5 tablespoons cornmeal/polenta 
1 cup/ 250 ml + 2 tablespoons milk (add a pinch of sugar if using unsweetened milk)
1/2 stick cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 cloves
Dark chocolate, jaggery (or soft brown sugar) and nutmeg, to grate on top
Cinnamon powder, for garnish

Method 

1.   Whisk the cornmeal and milk in a microwaveable bowl and mix   in the cinnamon stick and cloves.

2.   Microwave on High for 1 minute 30 seconds. Whisk well and microwave on High for another 2 minutes.

3.   It should be thickened but dry and should not taste bitter. 

4.   If it is bitter, heat for 30 seconds at time, whisking in between until it is no longer bitter.   

5.   If it is dry whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of milk and microwave for 15 seconds to heat through.  

6.   Discard the cinnamon stick and cloves.

7.   Transfer to a serving bowl and to serve, grate (to taste) a small amount of nutmeg, dark chocolate and jaggery on top (or sprinkle with brown sugar) and sprinkle over the cinnamon. 

Masala sprouts and tofu breakfast rice

Inspired by both the Indian khichdi, a mix of rice and lentils, and its British incarnation, the traditional breakfast dish kedgeree, which combines curried rice with eggs and fish and parsley. I have added sprouts and tofu to the rice in place of the lentils, and eggs and fish, and coriander instead of parsley as well as flavoured it with both North and South Indian spice mixtures. It is good way to use up leftover rice. 

Serves: 2

Ingredients
3/4 cups cold cooked rice 
1/4 cup cubed tofu
1/4 cup lentil sprouts
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon sambar powder/South Indian curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons chopped coriander, plus a few sprigs (optional) to garnish
Salt to taste

Method
Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat and saute the onion and ginger for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin seeds and continue to cook until the onions have softened. Add the sambhar powder, garam masala and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Immediately add the tofu and sprouts and mix to coat well with the spices. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup/60 ml of water, increase to medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water is absorbed and the sprouts are tender. Add the cooked rice, mix well and cook until the rice is hot. Stir in chopped coriander, add salt to taste and serve garnished with more coriander if desired.

Orange, chocolate, apricot, almond flat-breads

While it is not overly sweet, its combination of citrus, chocolate, dried fruits and nuts places this bread in the category of sweet breads. Since such breads are most commonly found in the form of loaves, for a change I decided to shape the dough into flat-breads. Just like their savoury counterparts, they are quicker to make, and equally flavoursome as loaves. The dough has a light chocolate flavour infused with orange and has bursts of a richer, intense  chocolate flavour from the chunks along with citrus-soaked apricots and crunchy bits of almond.

Makes: 8 flat-breads

Ingredients

2 cups wholewheat bread flour or chapatti flour/ atta (I like to use chapatti flour for making yeasted breads since it makes softer, lighter textured whole-grain breads)

1 teaspoon yeast

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons chopped apricots

2 tablespoons chopped, toasted almonds

4 tablespoons dark chocolate chopped into small chunks

A pinch of salt

¾ cup yoghurt

Method 
Toss the apricots in 1 teaspoon of the orange juice and set aside to soak. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, orange zest, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the yoghurt and the remaining orange juice and mix to a dough. It should be soft, sticky but stiff enough to knead. Knead for 7-8 minutes on a well-floured surface, adding more flour if necessary. Cover and leave to rise for 1–1½ hours in a fairly warm place until doubled in size.

Knead the risen dough briefly to deflate it, then flatten to a large circle. Sprinkle with the almonds apricots and chocolate chunks. Stretch and fold the edges of the dough over these ingredients. Knead again on a well-floured surface until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Ensure than the ingredients do not form clusters in the dough but are evenly spaced out. 

Preheat the oven to 190ᵒC /375ᵒF. Place a greased baking tray in the oven to heat. Divide the dough into 8 roughly equal sized pieces (see note). Roll each piece out to a thickness of about ½ cm/1/4 inch on a floured surface. Allow to rise for about 15-20 minutes, until puffy. Carefully transfer on the hot baking tray up to 2 breads at a time and bake them for 10-12 minutes until firm and golden. Serve hot.

NOTE:

The dough will make eight small flat breads. Since the breads are best eaten hot and freshly baked, if you are not serving all of the at once, just make as many as you want and refrigerate the remaining dough for up to 2 days.

Breakfast potatoes

A filling breakfast made in minutes. Try it when you want to eat something savoury in the morning.

Servings: 1

Ingredients
2 medium or 5 baby potatoes (about 200 - 250g/7-9 oz)
3 tablespoons chopped or thinly slice onion
1 teaspoon chopped or sliced green chilli
1 tablespoon tahini, or other nut or seed butter (I have successfully tried almond, cashew nut and hemp seed butter; in the above photo I used whole almond butter)
1-1/2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
Olive oil to drizzle
Pepper to taste (optional)

Method
Prick the potatoes but do not peel. Microwave all of them together on High for 5 minutes, checking every minute after 3 minutes. Stop when they are soft when pricked with a fork or knife or squeezed between your fingers. If they are not soft after 5 minutes, continue to cook for 30 seconds at a time until they are cooked. Allow the potatoes to cool until you can handle them comfortably. Meanwhile drizzle the olive oil in medium sized microwaveable bowl or small casserole dish. Toss the onion and chilli in the oil and cook on High for 1-1/2 minutes.

Slice the potatoes or chop them into small chunks. Layer the potato slices or chunks over the onions, carefully pressing them down. Place the tahini or nut butter and lime or lemon juice in a small bowl and mix well until both are fully blended and it has a creamy consistency. Spread or dab this mixture evenly on top of the potatoes. Microwave on High for 2 minutes. Serve hot seasoned with freshly ground pepper if desired.

Chocolate and spice oats porridge

More of a flavour combination than a recipe but I thought I would post it as molten chocolate and warm spices are delicious with creamy oats porridge. The chocolate is added in a small amount and as there is little other sweetening, it contributes to the taste and texture without making the porridge too rich to enjoy for breakfast. Try to use very dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa solids; I usually use chocolate with 85% cocoa solids) to ensure a strong chocolate flavour.

Servings:1

Ingredients
3/4 cup rolled/porridge oats
3/4 cup milk (see note)
1/2 cup water
1-2 squares of  bitter dark chocolate (depending on size of squares and preference)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
a pinch of granulated sugar (see note)
Nutmeg to grate freshly

Method
Mix the oats, milk and water in a pan and heat over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick and the oats have swelled and softened. If it becomes too thick early on, add more water and/or milk and continue to cook. Transfer the cooked porridge into a serving bowl. Grate the chocolate evenly on top of the oats and sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar. Grate the nutmeg about 10 times. Serve immediately.

NOTE:
I usually use non-dairy hazelnut or almond milk as they complement the nutty flavour of the oats. These milks are lightly sweetened but if using unsweetened milk add about 1/2 -1 teaspoon sugar. I do not add any other sweetening except for the pinch of sugar, whose purpose is to provide a crunchy texture rather than sweetness. If using sugar make sure it is granulated. Generally I use Demarara sugar. Instead of sugar you could also sprinkle on 1-2 teaspoons of finely chopped roasted almonds or other nuts. Another variation I have sometimes tried is to stir in about a tablespoon of nut butter (I have used almond and cashew nut butters). This is tasty but I think makes the porridge more of a dessert and find it too rich to eat as a large portion for breakfast.

Tofu and spinach omelette

Yet another recipe with spinach. The omelette base was inspired by this recipe. Feel free to substitute other greens of your choice. If using tougher greens like kale or chard, steam them before adding to the onions. I intend to try another variation of this recipe and I will post it if it is successful.

Makes: 3 omelettes

Ingredients
125 g (about 1/2 cup) firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
2 tablespoons chickpea/gram flour
1-1/2 tablespoons tapioca/mogo flour
a pinch of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, preferably kala namak/black salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup finely chopped spinach
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon olive oil (or other vegetable oil)

Toasted bread to serve (optional)

Method
Place the tofu, chickpea flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, salt and water in a blender/food processor and blend till smooth. The consistency should be of a thin pancake/dosa batter. Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat and saute the onions for a few minutes until they start to turn translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes longer. Add the spinach and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the spinach has wilted and a lot of liquid released has evaporated. The mixture should not be too watery.

Add the vegetables to the tofu mixture and mix well. Heat a non-stick (or lightly oiled) skillet/griddle/tava/shallow frying pan over medium heat. Pour in about a third of the batter and spread fairly thinly using the circular motions of a ladle or spoon. Cook until almost completely dry on the top (about 2-4 minutes). Carefully insert a thin spatula/turner underneath the omelette and flip it over. Cook on the other side until browned. The omelette can be served hot (with toasted bread if desired) but it also tastes good if allowed to cool and served at room temperature. You could cut into wedges and use it as a sandwich filling with salad leaves or other vegetables.

Chocolate and banana pancakes

Served warm and freshly made, these pancakes are fluffy and melt in the mouth. Be sure to use bitter chocolate in this recipe, otherwise it will be too cloying. I used non-dairy hazelnut milk in the recipe, which was lightly sweetened so if using unsweetened milk, you may wish to add ½ teaspoon of sugar or other natural sweetener, although I have made it before with unsweetened milk and there is little difference in taste.

Servings: 2-3
    

Ingredients
1 large ripe banana

1 cup/125 ml milk

¼ cup/125 ml water

¼ tsp natural vanilla extract

½ cup jowar/sorghum flour

½ cup rice flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

2 tablespoons dark chocolate chopped into small chunks

Method

Mash the banana in a bowl until no large chunks remain, add the milk and vanilla extract and mix well. Add the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, chocolate and then water and mix until fully incorporated. The batter should be of a consistency that is easy to drop from spoon. If it is too thick mix in a little more water.

Heat a non-stick frying pan or suitable pan over a low heat. If you don’t have non-stick pan, lightly oil the pan. When the pancake is hot, drop tablespoonfuls of the pancake batter onto the pan and cook for about 2-3 mins or until the batter has bubbled and started to dry. It should peel off with a thin spatula and the underside should be golden brown. Flip over and cook for 1-2 mins on the other side until it has browned and dried and can be lifted from the pan. You can test a pancake to determine if the pancakes are cooked inside. Serve immediately or they will become heavy.