Ashwagandha Porridge Recipe for Postpartum

We were introduced to ashwagandha porridge at the birth center in Denver after the delivery of our first child. I will never forget the experience of being spoon-fed this delicious meal shortly after our daughter was born — it felt like my body was being brought back to life after the marathon of labor had taken its toll.

Our post-delivery meal at Mountain Midwifery Birth Center, captured by our doula and photographer Lindsey Eden.

My husband, Alex, acquired the recipe from our midwife at the center and recreated the meal at home for several weeks into postpartum recovery. When we delivered our second baby last fall, the porridge was an essential element to the vision we had for the hours post-birth and the weeks that followed. Its life-giving magic worked just as perfectly the second time around.

In Chinese medicine, the qualities of the body during the postpartum phase are seen as cold, empty and deficient (as opposed to those of pregnancy which are warm, full and excess) and proper nutrition is vital to restoring balance. Food should be warm and nourishing with an emphasis on rebuilding Blood and Qi, and the ingredients in this porridge do just that.

To say cooking is not my strong suit would be an understatement and even I can successfully concoct this porridge. The recipe is almost impossible to mess up. We have substituted ingredients out of necessity or experimentation, played with the cooking time, frozen, thawed, microwaved, you name it… and it always comes out tasting amazing. As a bonus, your house will smell like delicious spices all day and, if you are like me, the smell of cloves will forever bring you back to those early days with your new babe.

Enjoy!

Ashwagandha Porridge Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups water

• 1 cup basmati rice or quinoa

• 1-2 tbsp dark molasses

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup cultured ghee

• 1 tbsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp clove powder

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp cardamom powder

• 1 capsule or 1 tsp ashwagandha

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Instant Pot:

1. Set to SAUTE and add ghee

2. Once melted add in spices

3. Add molasses and maple syrup

4. Add water & rice

5. Set to PORRIDGE setting (time automatically sets to 20 min, but it takes an additional 10 min to heat up)

6. Let cook!

7. Manually release pressure if needed but it will automatically do this and takes about 10-15 min

8. Total cooking time is 40 min from start to finish

Crock Pot:

1. Combine all ingredients

2. Cook on HIGH 3-4 hours

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