Cream of Wheat / Semolina - Breakfast Porridge with fruits and nuts

Pardon Me! I know I keep repeating this but breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For fear of becoming a breakfast scold I will tell you what happens around our house if we delay or skip breakfast. All hell breaks loose, we start snapping at each other and as the sugar level starts to goes down the irritability and anger slowly start to rise to the surface which sometimes ends in an eruption that is not pretty to say the least.

So if you are irritable or unable to concentrate in the mornings either at work or at school and are always day dreaming about the next meal or snack you can enjoy the explanation is simple enough. You made the decision to skip breakfast! Well breakfast does not have to be elaborate but it can tasty, quick and filling.

To this end I always have a few ingredients in the pantry at all time like this Cream of Wheat for instance. Cream of Wheat is nothing but finely ground wheat and it is also called Semolina. I prefer the Cream of Wheat by Quakers which is a little bit more coarser with brown specks compared to the Indian kind. The very white very fine vella ravai sold in Indian grocery stores have very minute sand particles in them and I have unlucky quite a few times in picking the wrong brand perhaps. The prudent thing for me is to stay away from them.

Unroasted Cream of Wheat

Heat milk, add the cream of wheat and whisk briskly.


Heat milk, add the cream of wheat and whisk briskly.

Use the kind you prefer and what is available to you. I normally do not make 2 breakfasts or 2 of anything, that is one for the kids and one for us. Yesterday when I set about to make Upma, DD standing right next to me watching me roast the cream of wheat complained about having Upma again. I offered her an option if she wanted to cook something she is welcome to. She chose to make this porridge which if I may say so myself turned out delicious. It is like eating your favorite pudding early in the morning.



The texture tends to get pasty which is not very desirable so I strongly recommend taking the time to dry roast the cream of wheat before cooking with it. I assure you doing this is well the time and effort.

Cream of Wheat/Semolina - Breakfast Porridge
Cooking Time:20 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup of cream of wheat
2. 1 1/2 cups of Milk (use almond milk for a vegan version)
3. 2 tsp of raw cane sugar (or maple syrup or honey)
4. 6-8 Dates chopped
5. 2 tbsp chopped roasted nuts
6. Diced fresh fruits (mangoes, bananas, berries)

Method

1. In a wide mouthed pan dry roast the cream of wheat for about 5-6 minutes stirring continuously to avoid burning.
2. In the sauce pan heat the milk, when it comes to a boil lower the heat and slowly stir in the roasted cream of wheat while whisking. Do not dump the whole thing in one shot, pour it in slowly as you are whisking to avoid lumps. Add sugar or sweetener of choice.
3. Cook for 3-4 minutes and add more milk if too thick. It gets a shiny sheen once cooked. Add in the dried fruits and nuts.
4. Serve warm with fresh fruit on top.

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