Savoury Oatmeal...my way

Until I read Mark Bittman's article on the NY times, I thought I was the only soul that liked a savory oatmeal breakfast.

I am a convert. About 12 or so yeas back my parents made the change to Oatmeal for breakfasts. Prior to that point, morning breakfasts were elaborate (by my current standards) and freshly made from scratch every morning. But by the typical Indian norms in that period it was very typical- Idlies, Dosas, Uppumas with a chutney or two for the side was bare minimum. When the switch to Oatmeal was made, i rebelled. Not because I was a rebellious teneager, but because i could not fathom how to eat that sticky gooey thing that was horrible in presentation. But here I am today, writing and a lot of times drooling for it when i don't make it    for a week. All the credit for being persuasive goes to my dear husband who kept pushing me and to my parents for coming up with a tasty salty recipe.

Here is my version of savoury Oatmeal - south indian style

2 cups of heavy rolled oats and water enough to submerge the oats. There is no set rule and i would alter that to suit the consistency one might prefer the end product to be.

I typically set it to cook in the microwave at half power for about 5 minutes. I like to feel the bite in the oats so change the timing to suit your requirements.

To this gooey mixture, add some milk and plain yoghurt and salt. More about my homemade yoghurt on a separate post.

And as with all things South Indian you add the seasoning. My favourites are 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds and 1 green thai chilli in Oil (The typical protocol is to add the mustards in the oil and wait for them to pop. And then you add the slit green chilli). I wait till the green chilli is nicely roasted before i add it to the oatmeal.

If you want to make this even more healthy, you can add cucumbers and fresh tomatoes to get that crunchy feeling going.