World Porridge Making Championships 2021

Here is my entry for this year’s World Porridge Making Championship in Scotland. Due to the global pandemic, we couldn’t compete in person. Instead, we had to submit our recipes and a short video and send to the judging committee.

In order the stand out from amongst the other competitors, I decided to use Australian Native ingredients to celebrate our wonderful country and unique flavours.

I enlisted a friend, who is a professional photographer, to help with the filming of the recipe (thanks Steen Vestergaard!). He also took some beautiful pics of the food (and me!).

My food styling skills kicked in and I went all out to make sure it all looked beautiful. I really wanted to show the colours of the Australian outback. I have a wonderful collection of Australian ceramics and bits and pieces from my travels to the Northern Territory and around Australia.

I had my fingers crossed for a top ten finish. So, I was really pleased to be awarded equal fourth place!

Check out my video on The Golden Spurtle .

 Here is the recipe

Steamed Oat porridge, quandong, mango, honey roasted macadamias, finger lime, bush honey, native mint

Here is the concept that I presented to the judging panel.

I think that a perfect bowl of porridge needs to have a combination of textures and flavours.

I am a recent convert to using my steam oven to cook the oats. This makes them light and fluffy.

The smooth creaminess of the oats is offset by the refreshing sweetness of mango balanced with the citrus zing and pop of native finger lime. Macadamia nuts echo the creaminess of the oats and are encased in a roasted honey toffee praline, providing a balanced sweetness and crunchy texture. Native mint gives a freshness on the palate.

Bush honey gives floral notes from our native Australian flowers in a truly unique flavour.

History

Australia has a unique history of native ingredients and bush tucker foods.

Macadamia nuts are native to Australia and have been grown here for millions of years, in the rainforests along the north east coast. With a creamy texture and subtle butter-like flavour, they are the perfect addition to a bowl of porridge.

Quandongs have been an important native food source for Australian indigenous people. Fossilized quandongs have been found dating back 40 million years. Also known as a native peach, they are highly nutritious, with all parts of the tree used for bush medicine, as well as for the delicious fruit.

Mangoes are one of the largest crops in the Northern Territory, with approx. 1.7 million trees planted throughout the country, yielding about 46000 tonnes of fruit annually. Mangoes have a refreshing sweetness and silky smooth texture. They pair beautifully with macadamias to showcase unique Australian flavours.

Finger limes are a truly unique native bush food. The elongated fruit contains lots of tiny caviar shaped pearls that literally burst with citrus flavour. Wild finger limes are incredibly diverse, with the largest palette of colours of any fruit. Skin colour can range from yellow-green to crimson, purple and black and the colour of the fruit inside also varies from green, yellow, to red and pink.

Bush honey is as varied as the hundreds of native flowers that the bees feast on. It adds a delicate flavour of native botanicals and seasonal wildflowers.

Native river mint is a delicate herb with small leaves and a similar flavour to traditional mint.

Murray River salt is produced from the ancient saline aquifers of the Murray Darling basin. It is a delicately flavoured pink coloured salt.

Recipe

1 cup groats (or rolled oats)

3 Tbsp (60 ml) macadamia oil, divided

2 cups (500ml) coconut milk

Pinch Murray River salt flakes

40g dried quandong

2 Tbsp (40ml) Bush honey, plus extra to drizzle

100g macadamia nuts

1 mango cheek, finely sliced

1 finger lime, halved

Native river mint leaves to garnish

Coconut yoghurt, to serve

Method

1.     Roll the oats, then set aside.

2.     Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a shallow frypan. Add one cup of oats and gently cook for a few minutes until aromatic.

3.     Add coconut milk and a good pinch of salt to season. Stir well.

4.     Put the pan into the steam oven, set the temperature to 100C, steam setting 100% and cook for 15 minutes.

5.     Place the quandong in a shallow tray with a splash of water. Place the tray in the steam oven alongside the oats.

6.     Whilst the oats are cooking, make the honey roasted macadamias. In a small pot, put the remaining tablespoon of oil with two tablespoons of honey. Heat until melted and bubbling. Add the macadamias and toss to coat. Pour onto a lined baking tray and cook in a preheated oven at 180C for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

7.     Carefully remove the oats and steamed quandong and set aside until cool enough to handle. Stir the quandong through the porridge.

8.     Remove the roasted nuts from the oven and set aside to cool. Roughly chop.

9.     Ladle some porridge into a serving bowl.

10.  Place the mango on top of the porridge with the chopped macadamias. Squeeze over the finger lime halves to release the citrus pearls.

11.  Garnish with mint, drizzle with honey and serve with a spoonful of coconut yoghurt for extra creaminess.

Serves 2.