There’s nothing quite like a big bowl of porridge to warm you up on a dark, cold morning, and this concoction from Carl White of Nopi, Ottolenghi’s Soho-based restaurant, is one you won’t want to miss. Devised for Rude Health, this recipe sees sweet and salty oats piled with fresh fruit, coconut shavings and mixed nuts. Delicious.

Ingredients

For the bircher:

200ml coconut milk
100g oats
2 eating apples, coarsely grated
50g mixed seeds (such as sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and linseed)
25g mixed nuts (such as walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds and cashews)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200ml cold water

For the miso butterscotch:

150g white miso paste, at room temperature
50ml mirin
30g light brown sugar
2 tsp sherry vinegar
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the toppings:

40g mango, peeled and cut into large cubes
40g apple, peeled and cut into large cubes
40g pomegranate seeds
20g toasted coconut shavings
30g mixed nuts (such as walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds and cashews)
Baby basil

To finish:

200g coconut milk
140g light brown sugar
Pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
Make the miso butterscotch using a rubber spatula to spread the miso paste out thinly and evenly on a parchment-lined baking tray. Place the tray in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes until the miso has turned to a dark caramel, where the sides look burnt and the middle a dark golden brown.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Scrape the burnt miso paste off the parchment paper, breaking it as you go, and transfer the pieces to a food processor along with the mirin, sugar, vinegar, butter and one tablespoon of water. Blitz well for five minutes to form a smooth aerated paste.
To make the bircher, put together the porridge oats, mixed seeds, half of the mixed nuts, cinnamon and the grated apple into a mixing bowl. Add 200ml of both coconut drink and cold water, mix well, then put into a sealed container and leave for two hours or overnight.
Put the other 200ml of coconut drink, light brown sugar and 40g of the miso butterscotch into a pan to warm through then add your Bircher. Stir for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat until it’s nice and creamy.
Spoon the porridge into three bowls. Divide the mango, apple, pomegranate seeds, toasted coconut shavings and the rest of the mixed nuts into each bowl and garnish with the baby basil.

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