Autumn Turmeric Porridge

From an Ayurvedic perspective warm porridge is recommended to eat in the morning. From 6-10 am our digestive fire is slower than the rest of the day, therefore a warm meal is friendlier on the digestion.

I soak superfoods such as hemp seeds, nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame, chia and flax seeds overnight. This helps to break the phytic acid that covers seeds and nuts and makes the nutrients more available. Soaking is often to referred as “activating” the seeds and nuts. In Ayurveda we soak our seeds, nuts, legumes and dried fruit over night because they are much easier on your stomach. This method also shortens the cooking time, double win!

For this recipe, you can use oats, buckwheat, millet, bulgur, quinoa, rice etc. There are so many options, for your specific body’s needs! Which ones are best for each dosha can be explored further below.

You can find out more about the amazing properties of turmeric here and how it is best to incorporate turmeric in your diet.

If you’re tummy is calling for a yummy warming bowl of happiness, then this recipe is your go-to!

This makes 2 servings, for one simply use half of the grains and liquid.

INGREDIENTS

-       2 tsp ghee or coconut oil

-       1/2 tsp ground or fresh turmeric

-       1/2 tsp grated ginger

-       1 tsp cardamom or cinnamon

-       100 g fine oatmeal or your grain of choice

-       500 ml plant-based milk or raw biodynamic cow milk

-       1 tsp white almond butter (or your preference)

-       handful of seasonal fruit, e.g. apples, plums

-       sprinkle of black pepper

-       1/2 tsp raw cane sugar

-       1 tbsp ground flaxseeds

-       1 tbsp walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the nuts, seeds and grains overnight.

Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pot at a medium temperature. Add turmeric, cardamom/cinnamon and ginger and wait until their aroma arises.

As soon as you smell the rich spices, you want to add your grains and nuts as well as your milk of choice. Stir well and let cook for approximately 5 minutes. Then you want to add a tiny pinch of black pepper (which you will barely taste and helps with the bioavailability of turmeric).

Then remove the porridge off the stove and serve warm.

In the meantime, you can heat 1 tsp of ghee in another pot and add your washed seasonal fruit. I recommend adding spices such as cardamom, cinnamon or clove and sauté and stir lightly until the fruit turn tender (depending on the size of your fruit this takes about 3-5 minutes).

Serve your porridge in a bowl with fruit, sweetener of choice and optional almond butter. As seen in this picture: one banana sautéed in ghee (you can use coconut oil instead) and cinnamon, plums cooked with two cloves and white almond butter sprinkle.

Please find alternatives for each dosha here:

Vata: raw, unhomogenized milk (nourishing), 1 tsp of ghee (lubricating and nourishing), instead of honey you can use jaggery (it is warming raw cane sugar), try using less turmeric if you feel like it as it can be drying, you may also use bulgur, couscous, semolina, basmati rice and warming quinoa

Pitta: coconut milk is cooling for Pitta, instead of 1/2 tsp turmeric, add 1/4 tsp of turmeric (due to its heating nature, or simply leave out), use fresh ginger rather than ground ginger, as fresh one is not as heating, you may also add more cardamom (as it is cooling for Pitta), you may sweeten with maple syrup as it is more cooling than pungent honey, instead of oats which are warming favor basmati rice and barley

Kapha: use nut milk (is naturally extractive) or rice milk (tri-doshic), or blend the milk 50:50 with water or just use water, substitute maple syrup by using honey (slightly pungent, drying in nature), you can also use corn, buckwheat, millet, brown rice, basmati rice, barley or quinoa

Please feel free to simply skip the turmeric and enjoy a porridge without, if that’s it what your body craves. Trust your body, it is always right!

Hope you enjoy this breakfast bowl!

Much love,

Lisa