Millet Pudding {Served With Cider-Poached Peaches}

I know what you are thinking. Where are the desserts? Aren’t you making any? Well, not much, actually. I got till the second week of January without baking anything. Then I buckled and made those little mug cakes for us one evening. But that doesn’t count, does it?

Then, last week was Pongal (an Indian harvest festival) and I made a traditional rice and lentil sweet pudding. It was all gone before I could share with you. So, I have another healthy pudding/sweet porridge recipe today, made with pearl millets.

There is much to learn and even more to re-discover in the world of food. Millets were a common source of nutrition in several parts of the world till late and like many things, slowly started to lose their popularity to faster-cooking and more processed ‘grains’. Millets come in a few different sizes depending on variety. Millet flour can be used to make Indian rotis or they can be cooked as porridge and eaten for breakfast.

But we love desserts and that is the main thing we miss whenever we adopt healthier eating habits. The great thing about many of these ancient grains are that they take extremely well to any flavoring you give them and can easily pass for a healthy dessert.

Millet pudding is quite simple. I cooked the lightly toasted millet grains in some milk and water. You can use only whole fat milk to make it richer. You can also use non-dairy milk like almond milk or coconut milk. If you are using coconut milk, I would suggest adding jaggery as a sweetener. The combo is absolutely delicious. I have a similar recipe with broken/bulgur wheat here.

All said and done, millets simply boiled in milk can be a little ‘meh’! So, how do we jazz it up? We use fruit, of course! They are nature’s very own desserts. You can simply top the pudding with your favorite chopped fruit, but I went one step further and poached some peaches.

Yes, it sounds all fancy, I know. But believe me, it is just a fancy term to say I cooked some peaches in a little juice and spices, spiced apple cider, to be specific. It was absolutely delicious! The peaches are so flavorful once they are done.

I left the peaches just a bit firm so that I can chop them and reduced the poaching liquid just a bit. I did not go all the way and add any butter or cream to make a caramelized poaching liquid sauce. You can do that if you want. But we are trying to keep the calories down here, okay?

The poaching liquid serves two purposes. It sweetens the pudding and also helps to thin it a bit. Millets are like oatmeal, they thicken up once cooled. So it helps to have this peach-infused liquid to stir in the pudding while serving. Yum!

MILLET PUDDING {SERVED WITH APPLE CIDER-POACHED PEACHES}

You will need: (Serves 4 as breakfast and up to 6 as dessert)

Millet Pudding

• Millet – 1/2 cup
• Water – 2 cups
• Milk – 2 – 2 1/2 cups
• Sugar – 3-4 tbsp (or to taste)
• Salt –  a pinch
• Slivered almonds – a small handful, to garnish

Poached Peaches

• Peaches – 2, ripe
• Organic spiced apple cider – 1/2 cup
• Water – 1/2 cup
• Cinnamon stick – 1 (optional, to be used if you are using plain apple cider or apple juice)

How to:

• Millet Pudding: Heat a pan over medium heat and toast the millets for a couple of minutes. Stir them all the while and do not burn.
• Add 2 cups each of milk and water and bring to a boil. Now, reduce the heat, cover and cook till millet is cooked, maybe 20-25 minutes.
• Open the lid and add sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. The pudding will thicken as it cools, so you can remove it from heat now. But if you like a really thick consistency, reduce further till thickened to your liking. Instead, if you want to thin it further, add half a cup more milk and heat thoroughly.
• Poached Peaches: Select ripe, but firm peaches and peel them. I soaked them in hot water for 30 seconds, made a tiny cut at one end and slipped the skins off.
• Place peaches and rest of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 10-15 minutes. If the peaches are not completely submerged in the liquid, make sure to turn them over once midway.
• Reduce poaching liquid further till slightly thickened. Cool down slightly and slice the peaches to top the pudding with. Save the poaching liquid to serve with the pudding as well.
• Serving the pudding: Spoon pudding in to individual cups or bowls. Top each cup with a few slices of poached peaches, almonds and add a bit of the poaching liquid too. Serve pudding warm or chilled.

Notes:

• The poached peaches and poaching liquid can be refrigerated for a few days, so feel free to make a large batch. Just scale up the recipe given.
• Needless to say, you can top the pudding with any fruit of choice, fresh or poached. A light apple compote would work great. Fresh berries would be a delightful addition in summer.
• You can try this basic recipe with just about any grain like bulgur wheat, rice, rolled oats, and such.

The millet pudding as such is a great dessert or even breakfast option. And I absolutely loved how the peaches turned out. They are great with the pudding and also to eat on their own. The apple cider adds an amazing flavor to the fruit.

So, what do you think? Is this a combination that would work for you?

How do you keep up with healthy eating resolutions, especially desserts? Do share.

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