Masala Porridge

I was never a big fan of sweet porridge. Or atleast of the way we’ve been having it at home forever, i.e with milk, sugar and a pod of cardamom. I don’t remember the last time I had porridge, though I still make it twice a week for my son, I can’t seem to get myself to eat it, no matter how healthy. Then the other day I saw an advert on the tele by Quaker (the most famous oats brand) do a take on Oats, Indian style. Savoury oats suddenly didn’t seem like such bad thing, and was kicking myself as to why I never thought of it before. I had to immediately give it a go. Now figuring out what to put in wasn’t rocket science. So I threw in a couple of things and … damn it was so delicious. It had a creamy texture with a burst of flavours and now I suddenly have a hundred ways I can use oats. Substitute it for couscous, for rice, in pullaos/risottos … the options are endless. Now this one here is super easy to make, and extremely healthy, packed with vegetables its not only a great for breakfast, but also makes a great meal for lunch or an evening snack.Savoury Oats, I’ve finally found my healthy fix. Even my 3 yr old loved it. I’ve used cow’s ghee, it really makes a great difference to the flavour and turns out ghee is healthy after all and should be included in your diet in decent portions.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 8-10 tablespoons of Instant Oats
• 2 tsp cows ghee (or olive oil : whatever you prefer )
• hand full of fresh peas
• 1 carrot finely chopped
• 1 small red onion chopped
• 2-3 curry leaves finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• 1 tablespoon knorr chicken powder ( for vegetarian : use a veg maggie cube )
• corriander as per taste
• parsley as per taste
• salt ( you may not need to add it if you are using the chicken powder or maggie cube)

Take a pot, add the ghee and fry the onion till soft and lightly golden. In another pot boil the carrots and peas till tender enough. Reserve the stock as you’ll need it. Add the vegetables to the onion and fry again, adding the spices : turmeric, cumin, chilli, curry leaves, coconut, chicken powder/maggie and give it a good mix. Add the oats and then the stock. Stirring it continuously. Cook for about 3 minutes or till the oats are cooked and you achieve the right consistency. Sprinkle the corriander and parsley. Serve immediately.