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Kick start your day with this Jamaican cornmeal porridge with hominy corn pieces. This plant based bowl of goodness is delicious, wholesome and yields a great source of energy.

If you have already tried a bowl of cornmeal porridge then get ready for something magical because this breakfast bowl is exactly as it sounds - heart warming and delicious!

Cornmeal porridge is loved by Jamaicans and throughout the English Speaking Caribbean islands. Whether you use the coarse or fine grain, it doesn't matter.

In Haiti, they have a similar version called Akasan which is more like a corn drink, nevertheless.

Cornmeal is a key ingredient for island people. Trinidad and Tobago use it in their Paime and so do Bajans in their Conkies.

It's also used in Cornmeal Pudding, my Saltfish Turn Cornmeal, Cou Cou and Cornmeal Dumpling and Asham.

As you can see that's a whole lot of cornmeal that is consumed by these beautiful islands. I would render it a dietary staple.

Now onto the recipe in hand, This recipe is very dear to my heart and very special because it's inspired by my grandmother.

I grew up watching my grandmother prepare this dish on Friday's, she would soak the hominy corn overnight and get to work by making a batch of porridge and combine with the corn kernels.

She would bring the porridge to a boil and then leave it to simmer until lunch time. In essence the porridge took a few hours until she was satisfied with the taste/texture and then serve us a big bowl for brunch

Sadly, I don't know the exact name of the recipe, I have asked relatives and asked around randomly with some people not even familiar with this technique.

Nevertheless I want to share a piece of my childhood that I believe you will love just as much as I did.

Ingredients you will

ingredients for the cornmeal porridge with hominy corn

The steps

steps 1-6 making the porridge with hominy corn

Discard the water that the hominy has been soaking in and set aside.
Mix the cornmeal and milk together then set aside.
Place a non stick saucepan on medium heat, add the water, cinnamon sticks and simmer until it starts to boil.
Once the water heats through, proceed to add the cornmeal/milk mixture continuing to mix non stop until the porridge starts to thicken up (this will take several minutes).
Once the porridge has thickened, stir in the hominy corn, cover the saucepan slightly leaving a small gap.
Simmer on low heat stirring occasionally adding a splash of water/ milk or both if the porridge starts to thicken too much and stir.
Cook until the hominy is soft. This will take about an hour to achieve.
When the porridge is cooked add the nutmeg, vanilla, pink salt and condensed milk/sweetener to taste.

Is hominy the same as corn kernels?

No, it's not the same. Hominy corn is maize that is dried and treated with an alkali called nixtamalization which is a type of lye that gives the corn that chunky bean like texture when re-hydrated.

Regular corn has a different taste and texture.

Where can you purchase hominy from?

Depending on where you're located hominy corn is available dried from any Caribbean/Asian/Latino Grocery stores. If you are state side hominy is used in many Mexican cuisines so you will most likely to get a good variety.

You can also get hominy corn in canned form (mostly online) which is already cooked and ready to use. Make sure to buy the golden hominy not the white one.

Can you use cooked hominy corn instead?

Yes, if you want to reduce the cooking time then use cooked hominy. Follow the recipe and add cooked hominy and leave the porridge to boil for 20-30 minutes (depending on what grain of cornmeal is used)

Notes and tips

In terms of sweetness you may want to use my Vegan Condensed Milk or another sweetner.
PLEASE make sure to use a NON STICK saucepan, very important!!
Use whatever texture of cornmeal you want - fine or coarse.
If you don't want to use Coconut Milk you can use Almond Milk instead
Make sure to heat the liquid up and stir briskly when adding the cornmeal to avoid lumps.
It's normal for the cornmeal to thicken up as it cools down/leftover overnight.
If the porridge becomes too thick as it cooks simply add some water/ milk or add both if you want it creamy and give it a stir.

Other porridge recipes

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