Warm and comforting, Millet Porridge (also called Millet Congee) is made of two ingredients: millet and water! It's nourishing and easy to prepare. Add squash, sweet potato, or pumpkin for extra flavor. It's a great side dish and can be served at any meal of the day.
Rice is the main staple starch in Hawaii. We often have rice at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But we also love many other starches like noodles and bread. And at home we also cook with millet.
There are many ways to cook millet, but we love making millet porridge.
For a simple breakfast, you can serve millet porridge plain. Add a tiny bit of sugar for sweetness.
At lunch and dinner, millet porridge can replace a bowl of rice or plain jook / congee. It pairs well with many main dishes like Shoyu Chicken, Pan Fried Tofu with Garlic Soy Sauce, and Chicken Adobo.
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Ingredients
This is a simple recipe that requires only two ingredients: millet and water. There is also third optional ingredient that will make this porridge even more tasty!
- Millet - There are many different types of millet. For this Chinese porridge / congee, we use foxtail millet which are tiny golden grains.
- Kabocha, Pumpkin, or Sweet Potato (Optional) - This is optional, but gives a nice color and natural sweetness to the porridge.
- Water
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Let's get cooking! Here are the instructions:
Clean millet.
Place the millet in a large bowl and rinse it with water 2-3 times (until the water runs almost clear). Drain the water and set it aside.
Cut squash.
Peel and cut the squash into a small dice. You can do bigger pieces, but smaller pieces mix more beautifully into the porridge.
Boil and simmer.
Bring the water to a boil. Then add in the millet and the squash. Stir and let it come back up to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 30 minutes.
Stir.
Stir the pot often to make sure the millet and squash doesn't get stuck to the bottom of the pot. Use a ladle to skim off any foam from the top.
Eat and enjoy.
The porridge is finished once the millet and squash is tender. Try a spoonful to taste! Then turn off the heat, spoon the porridge into individual bowls, and serve warm. Enjoy ^_^
Pro Tip: When I have the time, I like to peel the skin off the kabocha squash. I feel it looks "neater" that way. Peeling the skin takes extra time, especially for squash which is already hard to cut.
If you don't have time (or are just tried, which is a fair excuse), feel free to leave the skin on. There's lot of nutrients in the skin!
Substitutions
We usually use kabocha squash because that's what we commonly have at home (we eat a lot of kabocha in Hawaii!) Here are a few great substitutions:
- Kabocha squash
- Pumpkin
- Sweet potato
- Purple sweet potato
- Hawaiian sweet potato (also known as Okinawan sweet potato)
And don't forget, this is all optional. You can make a plain millet porridge with just millet and water.
Or you can turn this into a full meal by making millet porridge / congee with chicken and mushrooms.
Variations
There are endless variations on this dish! You can make it plain, sweet, or savory. Here are a few ideas:
- Sweet - Add a spoonful of sugar to the porridge right before you finish cooking. Stir to dissolve. We love this sweet version for breakfast.
- Savory - Drizzle the individual bowls with a little sesame oil and/or soy sauce.
- Cheese - Yes, cheese-y millet porridge is a thing! Place a bowl of grated parmesan cheese on the table and let everyone add as much cheese as they'd like.
- Spicy - Excellent with a spoonful of chili oil or chili crisp.
Because millet porridge is plain (that's a good thing), it is very versatile and can be made sweet, savory, cheesy, or spicy!
Equipment
No fancy equipment is required. All you need is a simple pot to cook the porridge.
Millet Porridge can also be made in the Instant Pot or a rice cooker.
Storage
Store the leftovers in an airtight container. The porridge will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To reheat leftovers, spoon the porridge into a bowl and reheat in the microwave.
If you are reheating on the stove, add a little extra water to the pot (otherwise the porridge might get stuck to the bottom of the pot and burn). Cook on low heat, stirring frequently.
Top tip
A good ratio for millet porridge is: ½ cup millet to 6 cups water.
Use this ratio as a general millet rule of thumb. If you prefer thinner porridge, add more water. And if you like thicker porridge, use less water.
If you added too much water and want it to be thicker, then just cook it on the stove for a little extra time and it will get thicker.
FAQ
Millet is a whole grain that is loved for its high nutritional value and health benefits. They look like itty bitty golden kernels and have a natural, gentle sweetness (some people say it tastes a little like corn).
Millet is gluten free. There are many different types of millet and we use foxtail millet for this recipe.
Millet porridge and millet congee are the same thing. At home, we usually call it congee, but many friends call it porridge. All delicious, either way.
Try our millet porridge / congee with chicken and mushrooms ^_^
Millet Porridge
Ingredients
- ½ cup millet
- 1 cup kabocha squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato optional
- 6 cups water
Instructions
- Place the millet in a large bowl and rinse it with water 2-3 times (until the water runs almost clear). Drain the water and set it aside.
- Peel and cut the squash into a small dice. You can do big pieces, but smaller pieces mix more beautifully into the porridge.
- Bring the water to a boil. Then add in the millet and the squash. Stir and let it come back up to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 30 minutes.
- Stir the pot often to make sure the millet and squash doesn't get stuck to the bottom of the pot. Use a ladle to skim off any foam from the top.
- The porridge is finished once the millet and squash is tender. Try a spoonful to taste! Turn off the heat, spoon the porridge into individual bowls, and serve warm. Enjoy ^_^
Nutrition
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LOL! I made a comment, but somehow it got posted on another recipe of yours -- I think it was the chicken congee recipe. How that happened, I don't know. But with me, anything can happen cause I am such a dufess!! I think I also figured out your new format for your blog. I now have figured out that your most recent posts are on the "recent posts" section.
Hi Alan! Sorry for any confusion, I just finished a redesign. The "recent posts" section is supposed to show everything, but I noticed some posts aren't showing...am trying to get it fixed soon. Thanks for your patience and hope all is well!
- Kathy
Came out good!