Semolina pudding is one of my guilty pleasures. This recipe uses semolina, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla to make a simple but perfect dessert in under 30 minutes. This dessert becomes even better when you add a compote, as it cuts down the richness of the dessert but also adds fruity sweetness. Semolina can also be cooked into a thick paste and eaten the same way you would eat a stew or soup with banku, kenkey, or rice.
There is coarse and fine semolina. The finer the grains, the smoother and silkier your resulting dessert will be. Couscous is basically semolina and so if you love one, you are very likely to love the other too. This couscous salad or this lamb stew which goes well with couscous, are 2 great recipes to try.
Ingredients
This semolina pudding has very simple and easy-to-get ingredients: milk, semolina, cinnamon, vanilla essence, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Semolina is made from wheat, particularly durum wheat, and normally has a pale yellow colour.
For this recipe, I used locally produced semolina made from hard spring wheat and its colour has a pale white, speckled appearance. I have made the recipe with both types of semolina and the difference is unnoticeable.
Substitutions
- Plant-based Milk - you may substitute regular milk with plant based milk. The resulting pudding will still be light and tasty but not as creamy.
- Fonio - makes for a great subsititute for semolina especially for people who have a gluten intolerance. Semolina is high in gluten whereas fonio is gluten free.
Variations
- Breakfast Porridge - you can easily turn this dessert into a breakfast porridge by simply eating it warm and adding any chopped fruits of your choice.
- Fruit Compote - adding your favourite fruit compote to this dessert makes it taste even better.
Tips
When making this dessert, where you have a choice, choose milk with a higher fat content over that with lower fat content. So for instance, whole milk instead of skimmed or semi-skimmed milk for the best results. The higher fat content will yield a better-tasting pudding. Also, add a pinch of salt to make it perfect.
Semolina Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon semolina about 20 grams
- 350 millilitres milk
- sugar to taste
- pinch salt
- cinnamon small stick
- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
Instructions
- Mix semolina with milk and place over medium heat.
- Add sugar, cinnamon, vanilla essence, and a pinch of salt.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.
- Keep stirring periodically to prevent burning. The mixture will start to thicken.
- At the end of cook time (about 15 minutes), distribute into serving glasses and cover to prevent skin from forming.
- Distribute the semolina pudding into serving glasses and cover to prevent skin from forming.
- Cool in the fridge until they are ready to be served.
Video
Notes
- If skin starts to form while the semolina pudding is simmering, simply skim it off.
- Let the semolina cool off slightly before pouring into serving glasses or jars.
- A great addition to this dessert is a fruit compote - for this recipe, I cooked down some frozen strawberries, with sugar, water, and a bit of cornstarch. The strawberry bits make a great contrast not only in colour but also in taste, to the soft pudding texture.
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