When I was little, my grandma made a lot of my meals. Although she mostly made and ate Chinese food, she did have some exceptions that were more western. She loved all jams but especially marmalade. She also loved malt-o-meal, which is an American brand of hot wheat-based breakfast porridge/cereal. I had no idea what this was back then. But because I’d see her eat it, it looked delicious to me, and thus I wanted it. She got into a routine where she’d make it for both of us, and we’d always stir in lots of creamy milk and (usually Aunt Jemima’s) syrup on top. It was hot, creamy, silky, and super comforting.

I cannot remember the last time I’ve had malt-o-meal. But when I read a blog post about a recipe developer making cream of buckwheat with maple syrup and figs, it immediately reminded me of my grandma’s malt-o-meal. This writer’s Substack made me so nostalgic for that hot, creamy, silky flavor and texture, so I went to buy buckwheat groats and ground them yesterday in preparation for today’s breakfast. I made it a little differently: I used 2 parts homemade soy milk to 1 part whole milk, 1/3 cup ground buckwheat groats, and then stirred in additional milk, a touch of maple syrup, and topped with hemp and toasted sunflower seeds. As soon as I had the first bite, it brought me back to the moments when my grandma and I would eat malt-o-meal together and how delicious and comforting that was. This will definitely be on fall/winter breakfast rotation for me. And here’s an added bonus: buckwheat is not only gluten-free, but a complete protein!