Amaranth Porridge with Fruity Green Tea Compote is a modern Fusion recipe for a dish of boiled amaranth and chia seeds served with yoghurt and a fruit compote stewed in green tea. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Fusion version of: Amaranth Porridge with Fruity Green Tea Compote.
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Amaranth seeds are a pseudograin, seeds of a dicotyledonous plant that can be cooked like a grain (think of quinoa or buckwheat as the classic examples). It’s being promoted as a superfood (whatever that means) so it’s becoming more readily available. However, this year I was growing amaranth in the garden (it’s a traditional South African green). Not having grown it before I planted too much (it does provide a constant source of tasty leafy greens). So, what do you do when there are too many plants? You let some of them bolt (they do look pretty in flower) and then let them set seed, which you can harvest. So, now I have jars of my own amaranth seeds. Like any pseudograin, you can render into flour (all you need is a coffee grinder and a bit of patience). This flour can be used in any recipe where you add other flours as an adulterant. Amaranth flour has a sweet nutty flavour and is good in cakes and pastries.
Here, I am using the whole seeds to make a porridge that, purportedly, has joint health benefits. Regardless of that, it makes a tasty breakfast. In this case I’m serving with a fruity green tea compote.
As an alternative, you could substitute millet (eg sorghum, fonio, finger millet, foxtail millet) for the amaranth.
I started growing amaranth as a leafy green in South Africa and, of course, several plants bolted, which is when I started exploring and experimenting with the use of the plant's seeds for cooking (as well as harvesting seeds for future planting).
Ingredients:
For the porridge:
85g (1/2 cup, scant) amaranth seeds
2 tbsp chia seeds
300g (2 pots) plain live yoghurt (or your preferred dairy-free alternative)
For the compote:
8 ready-to-eat dried apricots (about 50g/2oz)
25g dried cherries
2 tsp fresh ginger, shredded
2 green tea teabags
1 red skinned apple
4 tbsp fresh pomegranate seeds
Method:
The night before, put the dried apricots and cherries in a pan with the ginger shreds, pour in 350ml (1 ½ cups) water then cover the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for for 10 minutes then turn off the heat, add the tea bags and allow to infuse for 2 minutes.
Remove the bags and squeeze the excess liquid from them back into the pan. Rinse the amaranth in a sieve under cold running water to remove any saponins (natural compounds that leave a slightly bitter taste). Tip the amaranth into a small pan, pour in 325ml (1 1/3 cups) water, cover and set aside.
The following morning, bring the pan containing the amaranth to a boil, reduce the heat to a gently simmer, then cover the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the grains are tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the chia seeds.
Stir half the yogurt into the mix to yield a porridge consistency and spoon into shallow bowls. Top with the remaining yogurt. Core and slice the apple into the compote and spoon on to the porridge and scatter with the pomegranate seeds.
As an alternative to apple, you could use pear, sliced plums, peaches or nectarines or strawberries.
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