Indian Meal Gruel
Ingredients
Directions
Blend 1 tablespoon Indian meal, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt with 2 tablespoons cold water to make a smooth paste.
Stir the paste into boiling water.
Boil slowly for 14 hours.
Dilute with milk or cream, and strain.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Indian meal
- Its starch thickens the liquid as it cooks, giving the gruel body.
- Flour (in the method)
- Adds starch that thickens the gruel and helps it hold together.
- Milk or cream (in the method)
- Dilutes the thickened mixture, adding moisture and a softer, richer texture.
The step that matters
Stir the paste into boiling water. Starch granules clump if they meet heat unevenly. Starting from a smooth, cold paste and stirring it into boiling water disperses the starch so it thickens without lumps.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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