Description:
Simple healthy breakfast with loads of colourful vegetables. Regular oats with milk can be very boring sometimes, that too when you are in a big crave for spicy start. This version of oats upma could be one good recipe for those days, little lengthy procedure but is a one pot complete meal. Very versatile too… make it simple or your way by ignoring the veggie part and temper with just spices and podis.
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | Rolled oats |
| 1¾ cups | water |
| 1 no | onion (diced) |
| 1 tbsp | carrots (diced) |
| 1 tbsp | greens peas |
| 1 tbsp | green bell pepper (diced) |
| 1 tsp | ginger (chopped) |
| 2 nos | green chili (slit open) |
| 1 pinch | turmeric powder |
| ½ tsp | red chili powder |
| 1 tsp | salt (or to taste) |
| 2 stalks | cilantro |
| 5 nos | curry leaves |
| ½ tsp | mustard |
| ½ tsp | cumin seeds |
| ½ tsp | split black gram |
| ½ tsp | oil |
| 1 tsp | ghee |
Instruction:
I used regular Quaker old fashioned rolled oats for this recipe along with frozen carrots and peas combo pack, rest all from my pantry. Use your imagination and add veggies of your choice too.
Take a wide frying pan, heat oil and ghee. (Ghee gives good flavor avoid if you are too health conscious) Splutter mustard, split black gram, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Add chopped onion, green chili, ginger and veggies. Give it quick saute over medium heat for 3 minutes. Now add oats, turmeric powder, chili powder and salt. Mix to combine well and add water.
Let the oats cook. If you prefer slightly dry version then add only 1 1/2 cups of water, cover and cook until it thickens. This way the upma will turn out like flakes and will look separated and fluffy. In my recipe, the water is slightly more and the consistency will look chunky. Quaker package instruction gives 1 cup oats ; 2 cups water. Adjust accordingly. Once it thickens , switch off and garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves.
Consuming plain oats upma could be little bland… that’s how I felt, so try have it along with some spicy chutney or pickle on the side. Serving hot is another key otherwise nobody would ever touch this upma. Great for lunch box meal for adults provided they have facility at work to reheat.
Notes:
1 cup oats will yield 2 cups of cooked oats. 2 Adults servings.
8 Comments
My two cents – Since the cooking time maybe different for the veggies and oats, we can steam veggies separately and boil oats and then just saute the dish. That way we get a dry upma… something like poha upma..
Mullai, I tried this upma last week and it came out so good. My husband liked it too. I added some Maggi noodles masala and it added a nice flavor. I added this upma to my regular dinner menu.
Manju, that’s a nice twist, may be I should try that too. Thanks for the tip.
hey mullai, nice recipe. Can you suggest a few more recipes with oats. However I dont use rolled oats, so give me some tips for steel cut oats.
Madhu, steel cut takes little longer to cook. Adjust the amount of water and proceed with the same recipe. I will try to come up with something. Thanks.
make it almost the same way–looks yum
I cook the oats well and then let it cool down and then add buttermilk and pickle (sometimes milaga vathal) and drink it like kanji. Its very delicious…
Mullai, did you just come up with these good ideas all the time? The only way I can think of for oatmeal is to add condensed milk and chocolate malt powder. But this is entirely… you know, creative!