My previous experience with chia was via an allergy-safe pet, shorn with child-friendly scissors. These days it’s a new ‘wonderfood’. It’s supposedly got more omega-3 than salmon and it’s packed full of protein. I’ve found when dry that it can get stuck in your molars in a way that you thought only a strawberry seed could. But saturate the seeds in a little liquid and they swell up like cheerful orbs of freckled tapioca.
There are very few things that make me happier in the morning than knowing that breakfast is ready-cued in the fridge – which is how this muesli substitute was born. To these friendly seeds I add ground flaxseed/linseed, yoghurt, milk and a few stray berries for a little fruitiness and flavour. They all hang out together in the fridge overnight and meld into a silky, bircher-esque mass. What you then have is a quick but slow (carb) breakfast option that doesn’t involve lentils, bacon or eggs.
I’ll sometimes top a portion with a few extra toasted nuts, berries or seeds – and for the full, more traditional bircher experience, I’ll add in a grated apple, skin and all. But most often it’s just eaten as is, swiftly out of a bowl, while I wait for the kettle to boil and a good day to roll.