009 / 75 · Bowls, breakfasts and small meals
Banana and Date Cornmeal Porridge
2 cornmeal breakfast bowls, each with half the date porridge and 75 g (about 2.6 oz) banana folded through · Active 10 min · Cook 9 min · Total 25 min
Print recipe · PDFQuick-cooking fine polenta makes a soft cornmeal breakfast without a long stovetop simmer. Dates soften in the milk before the grain goes in, and banana is folded through after the stand. The sweetness comes mainly from the fruit. It is a spoonable bowl with small date pieces, not a sliceable block or a claim that every ordinary cornmeal cooks in a few minutes.
Buy the quick-cooking grain
Use fine quick-cooking polenta whose package calls for a short 3–5 minute stovetop cook. Ordinary coarse cornmeal and stone-ground polenta can need much longer and are not direct substitutions for this timed method. Sprinkle the quick-cooking grain into the hot liquid gradually while whisking, so it disperses instead of forming a dry clump.
Let the fruit do two different jobs
The dates cook with the liquid and become softer, releasing some sweetness into the bowl. Banana needs no separate cooking stage and keeps a clearer flavor if added after the stand. Divide all the banana through the two portions rather than decorating one bowl with most of it. The butter is also measured into the batch, not added again at the table.
Ingredients
- 70 g (about 2.5 oz) fine quick-cooking polenta, with a 3–5 minute stovetop package time
- 300 ml (about 1¼ US cups) milk
- 250 ml (about 1 US cup plus 1 US tbsp) water
- 40 g (about 1.4 oz) soft pitted dates, chopped into 5 mm (about 3/16 in) pieces
- 150 g (about 5.3 oz) peeled banana, cut into small pieces
- 10 g (about 0.35 oz) butter
- 0.8 g ground cinnamon, about ¼ tsp
- 0.5 g fine salt, a small pinch
Set out
1000 W microwave with turntable, Microwave-safe bowl, 2 L (about 2.1 US qt) measured capacity, Microwave-safe vented cover for the date stage, Small whisk, Spoon, Knife and board, Kitchen scale and measuring jug, Oven mitts, Two serving bowls
Allergens
Milk. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Combine milk, water, dates, cinnamon and salt in the 2 L (about 2.1 US qt) bowl. Cover loosely with a vented cover. Microwave at 1000 W full power for 3 minutes, stopping halfway through to stir, until the liquid is hot and steaming and the dates have begun to soften.
- Remove the cover carefully. Whisk in the polenta in a thin stream. Microwave uncovered at 50% power for 4–6 minutes, stopping every minute to whisk around the bottom and sides, until gently bubbling and the fine grain is soft. Continue in 30-second low-power bursts if needed; do not use a raw-grain taste test.
- Stir in all the butter. Stand for 3 minutes so the porridge settles and thickens. Fold in the 150 g (about 5.3 oz) banana pieces.
- Divide the complete batch equally between two bowls and serve warm. Each receives half the dates and butter as well as 75 g (about 2.6 oz) banana; no additional sugar or garnish is required.
A deliberately large bowl
The 550 ml cooking liquid has plenty of headspace in a 2 L (about 2.1 US qt) bowl. Do not scale this into a narrow mug, where foaming and stirring are harder to control.
Spoonable rather than sliceable
This liquid-to-grain balance is for soft porridge. It is not a polenta cake formula and is not meant to unmold.
Ingredient labels
Check polenta for wheat cross-contact if needed. The soy-drink variation contains soy.
A useful detail
The 25-minute estimate includes preparation, up to 9 minutes of sequential heating, the 3-minute stand and serving. It depends on the specified quick-cooking fine polenta; ordinary coarse cornmeal is a different, longer recipe. Times are starting ranges for a 1000 W microwave. Use the stated power setting, stir and turn as directed, and use the food endpoint rather than the clock alone. A different wattage or bowl shape may need additional short bursts.
Another way
- Replace the dates with 40 g (about 1.4 oz) chopped soft dried figs, removing any hard stalk before weighing.
- Use 300 ml (about 1¼ US cups) unsweetened soy drink in place of milk and 10 g (about 0.35 oz) plant-based spread instead of butter. Soy becomes an allergen and spread labels may list additional ingredients.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below and use within 2 days. The banana softens and darkens on storage. Add 20 ml (about 1 US tbsp plus 1 US tsp) water per portion, cover loosely and reheat with stirring to 165°F/74°C throughout; stand 2 minutes.