Fermented millet porridge is a traditional breakfast in a number of countries spanning Europe, Asia and Africa, where millet is an affordable and sustainable crop. Fermentation improves digestibility and increased the nutritional value of the millet, for a wholesome breakfast.
This recipe follows the traditional fermentation method for Nigerian Ogi. The millet is milled and fermented before cooking, for a very smooth and creamy cereal, with an almost gel-like quality. So it quite different from my recipe for coarse fermented millet.
PrintMillet porridge
Fermented millet porridge is a traditional breakfast in Asia, Africa and Russia. Fermenting millet improves the digestibility of the grain and increases the nutritional value.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients
- 1 cup of millet
- Filtered water (chlorine free)
- 1 tbsp culture (optional, see notes)
Instructions
- Soak the millet for 24 hours covered in water in a glass container. This will soften the millet and start the fermentation process.
- Drain the millet, then grind it into a smooth paste.
- Ferment the millet paste with 1 cup of water. You can add 1 tbsp of culture at this point, but it isn’t required. Leave the millet paste to ferment in a warm location for 2-3 days.
- After the fermentation, bring the millet paste and to a boil with 3.5 cups total liquid (including 1 cup of liquid used for fermentation).
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.
Notes
- Use a grain mill
or a blender
to grind your millet.
- If you want to use a culture for this ferment try yogurt, vegan yogurt, buttermilk or kefir.
- Ogi is traditionally quite soupy, if you want it thicker, then reduce the liquid by 1/2 cup.
- Serve millet porridge like any cooked cereal, with sugar, butter, milk or condensed milk. Add fruit and spices to make a delicious morning cereal. I like apple-cinnamon and berries.
- Ogi can also be added as a thickener for soups and stews.
or a 
to grind your millet.Keywords: millet, uji, traditional, baby food, healthy, gluten free, vegan
Would you happen to have the nutritional information for this recipe?
Sorry, I don’t have info for how fermenting changes it. But here’s wiki’s nutrition profile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet#Nutrition
I would like to know, if this is cooked, doesn’t the bacteria get destroyed?
I am specifically talking about the very beneficial Saccharomyces boulardii bacteria.
Yes, heating will kill the bacteria. In this traditional ferment, the fermentation is to improve the nutritional value of millet by breaking down the complex carbs. You could ferment after cooking for probiotic millet.