pig’s eye porridge aka wild rice and oat porridge

an easy, hearty breakfast inspired by my recent trip back home

there’s an unassuming little place in st paul, minnesota called day by day cafe. it’s not the type of cafe you might seek out and plan ahead to visit; it’s more like a spot you might stumble upon or accidentally drive by. for me, it’s an easy and casual choice for a coffee and a bite within walking distance from my mom’s house. it has a diner-style menu with everything you could want from eggs and hash browns to pancakes, salads, soups and sandwiches, but hidden between those classics is something special, something simple, something they call pig’s eye porridge.

where the name comes from, i don’t know. what i do know is that i’m obsessed with this bowl of steel cut oats fortified with wild rice and served with toasted hazelnuts, raisins and brown sugar. it’s nothing fancy, but i love it and i’d be lying if i said i wasn’t more than a little disappointed that i didn’t have it on my recent trip home. i believe my body and brain highly connect being back in the twin cities with eating certain things (from an obligatory, straight-from-the-airport bowl of shrimp and pork wonton noodle soup to the only jucy lucy to this humble porridge) because when i got back to berlin, i was absolutely craving this bowl of rice and oats. luckily for me, i brought back plenty of minnesota grown wild rice, so setting the record straight for my mind and body was a relatively easy fix.

original on the left, my take on the right

compared to the original, my version is much quicker to make as it swaps steel-cut oats for rolled. that being said, the final texture is different as rolled oats just aren’t as chewy as steel-cut. if you can’t find wild rice or it’s just too expensive, you can sub in cooked brown rice here, but i personally love the earthy, grassy flavor from the wild rice and find that it’s a rather integral reason behind my passion for this porridge.

top your bowl like you would any bowl of oats, but the recipe below stands by what day by day suggests: a spoon of brown sugar or real maple syrup, a small handful of dried cranberries or raisins, and a hearty splash of milk. i also really like dried sour cherries or juicy dried apricots, and fresh fruit (especially blueberries) would be delicious here, too.

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the recipe

serves 2

100 grams rolled oats

150 ml water

100 grams whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

70 grams cooked wild rice (substitute: cooked brown rice)

chopped toasted hazelnuts, dried fruit, brown sugar and whole milk for serving

1. add oats to a small pot and set over medium heat. let cook, stirring often, until they smell toasty and fragrant, about 5 minutes. add wild rice, then reduce heat to medium low and add water, milk and salt and stir to combine. let cook for another 5 minutes, still stirring often. after 5 minutes the oats should be cooked, the rice heated through and the liquid mostly absorbed.

2. split the porridge between two serving bowls and top with nuts, fruit, brown sugar and milk to taste; don’t skimp on the sugar and milk! serve immediately.