Porridge

Porridge. So simple and yet so good. My mother and grandmothers spent my entire childhood trying to feed me the stuff, and that's probably why it took over two decades to bring me round. As it was it wasn't a sudden love of porridge that turned me, but rather the other choices on the day.  I'd been traveling in Asia for almost 4 months at this stage, and despite my love of Asian cuisine I was over chicken rice and congee for breakfast. So when a tiny little cafe in the Himalayan foothills in Northern India offered porridge as well as Indian bread and curry I was sold. Porridge and chai - the perfect way to warm up the bones on a cold, foggy morning.

It was very simple, just porridge and a little brown sugar but it was just perfect and began one of the more memorable days of over 10 months on the road. That day saw adventures in the tea plantations of Darjeeling, my first ever High Tea complete with cucumber sandwiches and onion bahji, and the clearing of the clouds to reveal a sparkling mountain town and a majestic Mt Kanchendzonga at sunset. 

So this morning when I was met by (ok, not so similarly) cold and foggy morning porridge was just what I felt like. Since my first meeting with this comforting breakfast dish I have tried a number of variations incorporating dried fruits and nuts but today we were going with simplicity: a little maple syrup and some sliced banana, brilliant.

1/2 cup rolled oats per person

1/2 cup water per person

1/2 cup milk per person

Set the mix on medium heat on the stove, stirring all the while to have the oats slowly incorporate the water and milk. Then, once it starts bubbling like a mud pool you know it's done and you can remove from the heat and stir in any additions you might like: maple syrup, sliced dates, slivered almonds, blueberries, cinnamon, maple syrup and banana.

Serve in bowls with tea. The perfect Winter warmer.