I planned to experiment with basil in porridge this morning, but I decided the leftover basil was too wilted whereas I had some leftover fresh coriander which still had life in it. So, yes ladies & gentlemen, this morning I bring you my experiment with coriander porridge. (See my intro post to this series if you’re wondering why anyone would do such a thing).
I microwaved my oats and water for 3 minutes as usual while I worked out what else I was going to include. We had some ageing grapes leftover from packed lunches (interesting long ones from our Riverford box). I love grapes in porridge and don’t often have them, so I thought I’d put those in. I wasn’t sure about the combination of grapes and coriander, so in a moment of misgiving I googled it and found this page with 27 grape and coriander recipes which gave me some confidence. I considered including lots of my normal frozen berries (blueberries, cherries & raspberries) and just having a small amount of coriander and grape, but then I thought in for a penny, in for a pound and so I put in all the grapes and a good handful of coriander. I was in a somewhat reckless mood having not slept well due to eating a late night packet of McCoys flame grilled steak crisps. I was feeling the need to get back to some sort of healthy living. Something about the crisp medicinal greenness of this combination appealed to me in this context.
I microwaved the porridge for 1 minute and then added a banana as I’m not a total masochist and thought I might need some comforting creamy sweetness. Often I don’t microwave the banana, but this time I thought the whole thing needed a bit more heat to mellow it and bring it together, so I microwaved for 1 more minute.
The verdict? As soon as I took a bite, I knew I was onto something with the coriander. I’m surprised how much I like the coriander in the porridge as I’m not a huge coriander fan. There is something medicinal about it – I don’t think I’d always want it, but somehow in my tired state this morning it feels like the right thing as a sort of brightening detox food. I wasn’t initially sure about the grape-coriander combination, but the more I eat I find I’m getting used to it and actually I think it’s quite good. I think the banana is a good addition – I’m not really tasting it by comparison with the bold tartness of the other ingredients, but I suspect it is helping in the background.
I’m hesitant to recommend this because it’s not one for the faint-hearted – I certainly wouldn’t feed it to any children in my house – but if you’re looking for adventure and something to spice up the start of the day you could give it a whirl. I wouldn’t rule out doing it again myself although it won’t be an everyday thing. Do comment below if you’ve eaten coriander in porridge or if you decide to try it out. Happy porridge eating!
Hi Hannah,
Lovely post, and thanks for sharing your intriguing experience with adding fresh coriander to your porridge!
I just did a thing, although not a porridge – I decided to make my own version of Thai spicy coconut milk soup with mushrooms and tangerine. To fluff it up a little, I did add some oat flakes, which I believe you have used in your porridge. I bought “bold” coriander, because I read it was one of the official ingredients in the Thai soup recipe. I happened to add lots of coriander as I didn’t feel a little would do for my cooking pot, which is why I am looking at other people’s experiences with the dosage of coriander. Tastes really exceptional, though has a slight bitter taste, and I’m trying to figure out whether it is due to the dosage of the herb or the tangerine…? XD
Anyhow, sweet grapes! Take care x
Wow, thanks for sharing your response to my coriander porridge post! Lovely to hear from a fellow food experimenter! Your soup sounds really interesting, I wish I could have tried some. I think the bitterness is probably the coriander, but if you added tangerine zest or pith then I suppose it could be partly from that. Hmm, I’m trying to imagine the taste of coconut, mushroom, tangerine and coriander… anyway, thanks for your encouragement, maybe I’ll get round to some more porridge posts sometime.