Hominy corn porridge recipe – delicious vegan style Jamaican breakfast is made from boiled hominy, coconut milk and spices, will keep you full until noon.
Jamaica is home to some wonderful breakfast bowls – think cornmeal, green banana (plantain) and rice porridge. Hominy cornmeal porridge is another favourite among the beautiful people of Jamaica. However it is highly underrated compared to the aforementioned. It is creamy, flavoursome and provides you with enough caloric energy to sustain a long day.
What is hominy corn?
In short hominy corn is a food substance which derives from the kernels of the corn. The kernels are soaked in a mineral form of lime or lye which results in the removal of the outer layer of the corn (hull/germ) as well as doubling the kernels in size because of swelling.
The colour of hominy varies from white to bright yellow and is used to make grits in it’s ground form. It can also be used as a thickening agent for soups, casseroles or stews. Hominy is very popular in Latin America – Panamanians make Chicheme (corn drink) , the Caribbean and the southern states of America.
Nowadays you find hominy sold ground, dried – whole or cracked kernels or in it’s canned form. The canned form of hominy is largely non gmo and/or organic but very difficult to obtain.
What is hominy corn porridge?
Hominy corn porridge is a Jamaican porridge made from either cracked or whole hominy kernels. It consists of coconut milk, condensed milk, cinnamon (usually a stick of the spice) and nutmeg. The hominy is rinsed several times before being soaked in water overnight so that it cooks much faster the following day.
The soaked hominy is then boiled with the cinnamon and swells as it softens. Once the hominy is cooked through, the coconut milk, condensed milk and remaining spices are stirred into the pot before serving.
Some people including my family would add either evaporated milk , mixed spice and/or a bay leaf to their porridge.
Growing up as a little girl I used to see my mother and grandmother make this sweet corn porridge on Fridays. I didn’t like it as much as cornmeal porridge but I would always pester my grandmother in particular for a bowl. Needless to say I feel in love with this porridge and I’m so happy to share a completely vegan version of this well regarded dish.
How to make make hominy corn porridge
Soaking the hominy – this is the most crucial aspect of preparing your hominy. If you want to reduce the cooking time. Make sure to rinse the hominy before leaving it to soak overnight. I would recommend purchasing cracked hominy as pictured because it cooks a lot quicker then its whole counterpart.
Cooking the hominy – I like to rinse off the water which was used overnight and replace it with fresh water in the morning. Bring the water to the boil then reduce to medium heat with the saucepan covered. Simmer with stick of cinnamon for a total of 45 minutes until the hominy is soft and the water levels are reduced.
To determine it’s readiness, simply take some grains from the saucepan using a spoon, wait for it to cool and use your finger to squash the hominy, if it squashes with ease then it’s cooked.
Thickening the hominy – you can thicken the porridge with starch mixed into the coconut milk. This is a very popular method amongst Jamaicans. Alternatively, some people like to omit this process by allowing the hominy to break down further which results in the natural thickening of the porridge.
Adding the rest of the ingredients – once the hominy is cooked you can add your coconut milk, condensed milk and spices prior to serving.
Where can I purchase hominy corn?
Ethnic groceries tend to stock it think – Latin, Caribbean or Asian stores.
Can I use another plant based milk if I don’t like coconut milk?
Yes, hominy porridge can be made with another plant based milk such as almond if coconut milk is not your thing.
Can I make this recipe in an electronic pressure cooker or instant pot?
Yes, you can make this recipe in an electric pressure cooker. I own a pressure cooker pro and sometimes make it in there. I skip soaking it overnight, just add 2 cups of coconut milk (mixed with starch) along with 2 cups of water.
I then add all of ingredients (excluding the condensed milk) manually set my timer to 30 minutes, seal and cook away.
I’m assuming an instant would be similar only selecting the porridge setting instead.
Notes
Soak the hominy overnight for best results
Use cracked hominy not whole
Vegan friendly and gluten free
Use my condensed coconut milk recipe to keep it dairy free
How to make hominy corn porridge in steps (using pictures)
Add the water to the hominy kernels that were soaked overnight
Bring the water to the boil along with the cinnamon stick and then reduce to a simmer. Once cooked through prepare to add the coconut milk
Add your nutmeg, pink salt and vanilla along with the condensed coconut milk, sweeten to taste.
Hominy corn porridge
Ingredients
- 2 cup of hominy corn
- 4 cups of water
- 2 cups of coconut milk mixed with 2 tbsp of tapioca starch
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp of himalayan pink salt
- vegan condensed coconut milk according to taste (see post for recipe link)
Instructions
- Rinse the hominy grains several times to rid any debris or dirt.
- Soak the hominy in enough water to cover the kernels overnight
- The next day strain off the water and replace with the 4 cups of water.
- Bring to the water to the boil then reduce to a medium heat and simmer with the lid on for 45 minutes until the kernels are tender and able to squash with a finger (see post) As the kernels cook the water levels will recede by 3/4. There should be roughly a cups worth of water in the saucepan around the total time of cooking before adding the milk. If not, add another cup of water before moving onto the next step.
- Pour in the coconut milk, then add the condensed milk, nutmeg, pink salt and vanilla
- Stir and cook for another 10 minutes
Do you know a brand/store that sells organic hominy corn? I try to eat only organic corn due to high presence if GMOs used in those crops. Thx!
The brand Natural Value is the only organic hominy that I have come across. It’s sold on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Value-Organic-Hominy-Ounce/dp/B072VDRL8L?th=1
Thank you!
Sorry to bug you again! One more question…the Natural Value corn came in but it was already soaked in water. Should I still boil the corn for a bit before adding the milk? Or what would you recommend to replace the first few steps of your original recipe?
It’s not a problem. I haven’t made it with presoaked hominy, but I would reduce the amount of water by half and boil for 20-25minutes instead then add the rest of the ingredients.