Overnight Rice & Oat Porridge
When my editor at poetryoffood.com asked me to share my favorite rice recipe, I knew it had to be the rice dish that I’ve been making for many years and that I love to start my day with: Overnight Rice & Oat Porridge. Let me assure you that this is not just any porridge. It is THE BEST PORRIDGE you can make and is something you’ll want to add to your repertoire of great breakfast dishes.
There are two main ingredients in this easy and delicious dish: short-grain brown rice and whole oat groats. The short-grain brown rice imparts a rich, nutty flavor to the mix and the whole oat groats add a fantastic, chewy texture that is superior to that of any porridge I’ve tasted.
Many porridge recipes call for steel-cut oats, which are whole oat kernels that have been hulled. For the record, steel-cut oats are oat groats that have been thinly sliced lengthwise with sharp blades and, because they’re sliced, they cook faster.
Whole oat groats do not cook as fast, but when par-cooked the night before for a few minutes and left on the stove overnight, they essentially “soak” in liquid and soften sufficiently so that they only need a short period of cooking in the morning.
I like my porridge with a light sprinkling of brown sugar, but you can also top your cereal with a drizzling of maple syrup or a handful of raisins or other dried fruit.
Photography by Jim White
Carol White
Carol White is a Napa Valley-based food writer and editor who has passionately devoted herself to the study of food and cooking. She was previously based in Toronto, where she worked as a food editor for one of Canada’s most popular magazines, Canadian Living, and edited a weekly food column for Canada’s largest newspaper, The Toronto Star. Carol is also the editor of the highly successful President’s Choice Cookbook and President’s Choice Barbecue Cookbook. Over the years, Carol has evolved a style of cooking that friends call “Cuisine Carolaise.” While not French, per se, Cuisine Carolaise can be described as rustic, clean, rich in flavor and based on the freshest, best-quality ingredients available.