Hominy corn porridge is a popular Jamaican breakfast staple, just like my peanut porridge recipe.
The corn that makes the hominy is similar to the regular corn kernels from the cob, except that they are dried. These corn kernels are coarsely grounded in the United States, to make hominy grits. Hominy corn is a favorite in many other countries and in many other recipes we have never eaten.
Jamaican Hominy Corn porridge is popularly labeled as the favorite porridge of Jamaicans. The condensed milk for sweetness and the smoothness of the coconut milk makes your taste buds happy.
What is the Difference Between Corn and Hominy?
Hominy can be made from yellow or white kernels and is otherwise known as field corn.
Dried hominy portions are absorbed by a soluble base arrangement of lye or lime.
This process is called nixtamalization, which makes the corn easier to grind and cook with.
What is Nixtamalization?
Nixtamalization is a drying process and is native to many tropical countries.
This is where corn is treated in order to preserve it for future use.
These corn kernels are treated with lime or lye and then cooked and dried before it is either grounded or sold.
The grounded corn is used to produce the flour used to make corn tortillas, porridge, cakes breads and many more recipes.
How to Cook Hominy Corn?
Hominy can take hours to cook if you have not had a chance to presoak. Soaking hominy before cooking is always ideal and this would normally take around 2 hours to cook.
Cooking dried hominy always produces a higher yield.
The easier option is using already canned and, cooked hominy, and it will save time.
When testing if the hominy corn kernels are cooked, you can use any of the following methods.
- Using a fork to test the tenderness, just like pasta.
2. Popping one kernel in your mouth and check for the mouth feel, it should be soft and chewy.
The hominy corn will be done cooking when the kernels are soft and chewy and at this point it will be ready to make porridge.
When cooking hominy on the stove top, it may take a long time and an instant pot can save you some time.
The cooking process can be made easy with using a pressure cooker or an instant pot pressure cooker.
The ratio I use is 1 pound of dried field corn to 7 cups of water and pressure cook for 30 minutes.
Vegan Hominy Corn Porridge Ingredients
Jamaican hominy corn porridge is usually made with cows milk condensed milk.
This recipe and any other porridge recipe can be made vegan with minimal substitution.
Here are the ingredients in picture below with the link to the vegan ingredients.
- Yellow Hominy - Vegan
- Condensed Milk - Vegan
- Coconut Milk - Vegan
- Cornmeal - Vegan
- Salt - Vegan
- Vanilla Extract - Vegan
- Cinnamon Leaf - Vegan
- Whole Nutmeg - Vegan - this nutmeg is from my Etsy Shop, imported from Jamaica.
Jamaican Breakfast
Jamaican Hominy Corn Porridge
Equipment
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
- Wooden Spoon
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Grater
- Small Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Uncooked Hominy Rinsed
- 8 Cups Water for Boiling
- 2 Teaspoons Salt for Boiling
- 3 Dried Cinnamon Leaves Optional
- 1 Can Coconut Milk
- 1 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- ¼ Cup Fine Cornmeal
- ½ Teaspoon Grated Nutmeg
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Pressure Cooking the Hominy
- Add the uncooked hominy, water, cinnamon leaves and salt to the pressure cooker or instant pot.Ensure that the lid is on and the vent is sealed. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes and allow the steam to naturally release once done.
Cooking the Hominy in a Pot
- In a small pot on high heat, add uncooked hominy, water, 3 cinnamon leaves and 2 teaspoons of salt.
- Bring to a boil for 50 minutes or until soft but still firm. Stir every 10 minutes to ensure there is no hominy sticking to the pan.
- Once the water evaporates, lower the flame to low, remove the cinnamon leaves and discard. There should be an inch or less of water left in the pot at this point.
- Place the saucepan with cooked hominy on a medium low flame. Add Coconut milk and stir to incorporate the reduced starch from the hominy.
- Once combined, add cornmeal and vigorously stir to combine. This will remove any lumps the cornmeal may cause.
- Allow the coconut milk, hominy and cornmeal to come to a simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring in between to maintain a smooth consistency and allow the cornmeal to thicken the porridge.
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