Coconut Millet Porridge with Bananas and Poppy Seeds

In the years since I first discovered it, this has become my go-to breakfast porridge. In addition to being extremely delicious, it is also sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. If you really want to treat yourself special, forget the sliced banana and top this with pan-seared bananas. In recent years I’ve started seeing coconut milk for sale in cartons, along with other alternative milks in the refrigerated dairy case at grocery stores. This coconut milk isn’t as rich as the stuff in cans. I use canned coconut milk to make the porridge and refrigerated coconut milk on the porridge. Use whichever you want.  

Serves: 

4

What you need:

1 cup unsweetened large-flake coconut

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk, shaken

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup millet, rinsed

2 ripe bananas

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Cold coconut milk (or almond milk) for serving

What to do:

Put the coconut in a skillet and cook it over medium-low heat, shaking the pan constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until it is golden brown. Transfer it to a plate. The coconut burns so easily that if you turn your back on it in the pan for even a minute it will burn. I also take it out of the pan once it’s toasted so it doesn’t burn from the heat of the pan.)

Pour the canned coconut milk into a saucepan. Fill the empty coconut milk can with water and add the water to the saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Stir in the salt and millet, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, stirring often, until the millet is tender but not mushy and the liquid has been absorbed, about 30 minutes.

Spoon the porridge into four bowls. Peel the bananas and slice them over the bowls so the slices fall onto the bowls. Sprinkle the poppy seeds and coconut on top and serve with coconut milk around the edges.

Adapted from Bowls of Plenty by Carolynn Carreño (Grand Central Life & Style, 2017)