Millet pumpkin porridge is the kind of dish that bridges late summer and the coming cold: sweet pumpkin softens millet’s faint bitterness, and milk turns the whole thing into a velvety, hearty bowl. It comes together from a handful of pantry staples, and the bright orange color makes it feel properly autumnal.

The real trick to good millet porridge is rinsing the grain thoroughly before cooking. Millet carries a natural oily coating that can turn slightly bitter over time, and a few rounds of rinsing in cold water washes that away almost completely. The second trick is to let the pumpkin finish cooking together with the grain rather than pureeing it separately beforehand — that way it releases its juice and natural sweetness straight into the porridge, so you barely need to add any sugar.

The porridge comes out fairly thick, but the consistency is easy to adjust by stirring in more milk toward the end of cooking. It pairs well with honey, cinnamon, toasted pumpkin seeds, or a handful of raisins. Leftovers reheat nicely the next day — if it thickens too much in the fridge, just loosen it with a splash of warm milk.