Turmeric-scented porridge with pears and cacao crumble recipe

I had never thought of using turmeric in a sweet dish until I tasted this porridge at 26 Grains, a café in Covent Garden, by owner Alex Hely-Hutchinson. You don’t have to make the crumble – you can just scatter on some cacao nibs or leave out the cacao element. The recipe makes more crumble than you need but it doesn’t make sense to do it in small quantities.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 4 minutes, plus 40 if making the crumble

SERVES

Two

INGREDIENTS

For the porridge

• 100g porridge oats, soaked in 250ml water for at least 30 minutes, or the night before

• ¼ tsp cardamom

• ¼ tsp ginger

• ¼ tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp turmeric

• 125ml regular milk, nut milk or coconut milk

• Pinch salt

For the cacao crumble

• 80g porridge oats

• 1 heaped tbsp cacao

• 25g chopped, toasted hazelnuts

• 40ml olive oil

• 80ml maple syrup

• Pinch of sea salt flakes

For the topping

• 2 tbsp mixed seeds

• 1 fat ripe pear, cored and diced

• 2 tbsp plain yogurt

• 1 tbsp maple syrup or soft light brown sugar

METHOD

1. To make the cocoa crumble, if you’re using it, preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

2. Put all the ingredients for the crumble into a roasting tin, spread out flat, and bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

3. Put the oats, with the soaking water, into a pan over a medium heat. Add all the spices, the milk, 125ml of fresh water and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, ensuring all the spices are mixed in well.

4. Pour into two bowls and top with the cacao crumble or cacao nibs, yogurt, pear, seeds, nuts and maple syrup.