This was the ‘Golden Milk Cereal’ at Hugo’s, and I’ve got to say it’s one of the weirdest taste sensations I’ve had in some time. That’s not saying it wasn’t good mind you, but definitely different.
It’s made with “warm, organic quinoa in a Golden Milk of turmeric, honey and raisins. Served with bananas and strawberries”. They give you a choice of cows milk, soy or rice, I went with the rice. (Note that honey is not vegan so ask them to leave that out if you don’t eat it).
So yeah, it’s pretty weird tasting! You’ve got your sweet, breakfasty flavors coming from the fruit, honey and milk, but then you’ve also got the intense, more savory flavor of turmeric in the middle of it all, turning your sweet breakfast into something more reminiscent of an Indian curry. It’s odd to say the least. I liked it and disliked it at the same. It’s something that would really take some getting used to but which is at the same time quite compelling. The dish is so healthy, which was the main reason I wanted to try it… turmeric is supposed to be an excellent anti-inflammatory among all the other good stuff it does. I’ve recently developed an allergy to Ibuprofen and have been recommended turmeric as a natural alternative, so when I noticed this item on the menu I figured I’d gave it my best shot. I wasn’t able to eat too much of it, but like I said, I’m compelled and intrigued enough by this dish to want to try it again. I don’t know that I’ll ever end up loving it, but I almost feel like this should be approached from more of a nutritional and medicinal point of view, rather than it just being about happy taste buds.
Now that the idea is in my head, I’ll try replicating this at home but start it off with much less turmeric and see if I can build up more of an acquired taste for it. It’s not that I don’t like turmeric, it’s that I’m not used to eating it along with something sweet. It’s one of those cultural things I guess.
- Sweet potato, asparagus & coconut milk curry
- New awesome “Power of Green” salad at Hugo’s
- Roasted veggies with tempeh
- Los Angeles Tofu Festival 2007
- Hugo’s Tacos, soyrizo and me.
Whoa, interesting!
wow, this IS quite a compelling dish – I’ve never eaten quinoa OR tumeric in anything other than savory dishes, so I’m always intrigued when I see these ingredients used in other ways :0)
VeggieGirl: I’ve used quinoa as a hot, breakfast cereal before… made it with agave nectar, cinnamon and blueberries like I normally would do to my oatmeal, and it was great. The idea was inspired by something I saw on my latest obsession, Gillian McKeith’s show on the BBC called “You Are What You Eat”. She made the quinoa cereal for someone on the show and it looked so good and healthy that I had to try it. That said, the addition of turmeric turns it into a whole other thing entirely!
This is my favorite dish at Hugo’s! The first time I had it I thought it was interesting but hard to eat much of, a few weeks later I found myself craving it, and now I can’t get enough. I’m trying to come up with a recipe I can make at home now.
Casey: There is something oddly fascinating about this dish. Even thought I didn’t love it, I find myself thinking about it and wanting to try it again. Maybe one day too I will be addicted!