I bought some Chinese 5-Spice Powder a long while ago, but haven’t really used it until lately. It originated in China and is comprised of equal parts of ground cinnamon, fennel, star anise, cloves, and Szechwan pepper.
My mother-in-love shared a porridge recipe with me from Laughing Horse Lodge in Montana. I haven’t made it successfully yet because it calls for Wahani Red Rice, which is discontinued and/or unavailable everywhere I shop. The porridge combines this red rice and oats along with maple syrup and the signature flavor of 5-spice powder. I haven’t had the porridge but Jeff’s aunts and his mom all think this porridge is delicious.
I added some of the 5-spice powder to our regular oatmeal this morning… it was delicious! The following recipe is not for the famous Laughing House Lodge Porridge, but rather for our yummy morning oatmeal using this unique spice combination.
5-Spice Oatmeal
serves 5, with leftovers
- 4 cups thick rolled certified gluten-free oats
- 8 cups water
- raw apple cider vinegar, Kombucha, yogurt or kefir
- 1/8 teaspoon green leaf stevia powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped (soaked and dehydrated) nuts, such as almonds or walnuts (optional)
- garnishes: sliced bananas, drizzled raw honey or maple syrup, raw milk, raw cream, yogurt or kefir, or raw hazelnut or almond milk
Combine oats and water and vinegar (or other acid), in a pot. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight.
The next morning, add stevia, 5-spice powder and vanilla extract. Bring to boil, then reduce to low heat and let simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, until thick. Stir in coconut, raisins, and nuts.
Spoon into bowls. Top with garnishes and serve.














Take the guesswork out of what to fix, what to buy and what to prepare. This week:
Class materials compiled into easy downloads:
Hi Wardeh! This sounds so tastey! I can’t wait to try it.
Flora
Hope you like it! You can also added shredded apple at the end, which makes it yummy
Hello! Just found your blog last night. Can’t wait to explore more.
This morning I made the 5 spice oatmeal. Absolutely delicious and a hit with mom, dad and kids alike. I also use 5-spice powder on baked sweet potato “fries”.
Rebecca, I’m so happy you liked the oatmeal! Thanks for sharing how you use 5-spice powder. I’m going to give that a try, for sure!
Hi Wardeh! I love your recipes, so I’m giving this a try…with just one twist. I had found a recipe a while back for “Cream of Wheat with Egg and Vanilla” that I loved, and thought why not add egg to oatmeal too? It’s fantastic! I always add egg to oatmeal now. So, I’m adding a well-beaten egg to this. You have to temper the egg before adding it or it will end up with little nubs of egg in it, but it’s a great way to get extra protein in the morning. It’s smelling divine as it simmers on the stove right now, can’t wait to dig in! I even (finally) have some raw cream to drizzle on top…mmm. Thanks for the wonderful, healthy and nourishing recipes!
Dawn — That sounds delish! Tell me, how do you temper the egg?
Oh it is…gives it a richer flavor! To temper an egg: to your beaten egg (and beat well…the original recipe I found commented on the inescapable egg nubs, but since then I’ve learned that to make perfect, fluffy scrambled eggs, you have to whisk them until they are uniform in color and frothy. It breaks down the protein structure of the egg white or something. So, I tried that the next time I made oatmeal and I didn’t see near as many “nubs”) add 1 cup of hot oatmeal and mix well, then stir back into the oatmeal and cook a little longer. You can do this with anything, you’re just heating up the egg a little before adding it to the hot stuff in the pot to keep it from cooking hard. Super easy, and I won’t make oatmeal any other way anymore! Oh, and I have to add coconut oil too, I can always tell when I forget it…it just doesn’t taste as good!