oats – Meal Haven

Oats Uthappam (Savoury Pancakes with Oats)

A healthy breakfast with oats. I am aways on the look out for pancakes with oats, quinoa or millets and this one with veggies was awesome. Serve it with some carrot chutney (check chutney’s section) and watch your family enjoy this nutritious breakfast.

Makes approximately 8.

Ingredients:

Rawa/Semolina – 1/2 cup

Oats powder – 1 cup

Rice flour – 2 1/2 tbsp

Onion – 1 small

Carrot small – 1/2 (grated) – optional

Capsicum – 1 small

Green chillies – 1

Curry leaves – 4 or 5

Coriander leaves – 1 sprig

Thick buttermilk – 1/2 cup

Salt- as required

Water – 1 cup

Oil for cooking

Preparation:

Heat a pan. When hot, add oats and saute it for 2 minutes. Remove and let it cool. When it cools down, transfer it to a mixie and powder it. The powder should not be very fine but slightly coarse.

Chop onion, capsicum and green chillies very fine. Also, chop curry leaves and coriander leaves. If you are adding carrots, grate and keep it aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the oats powder, rice flour, semolina and combine it well. Next, add the chopped carrots, capsicum, onions, curry leaves, green chillies and coriander leaves. Mix it well and slowly add the butter milk and water. Add salt and stir well to combine. Adjust the quantity of water required for the batter.

The batter should not be too thick or runny. The consistency should be like that of a pancake or dosa consistency.

Next, heat a tava or skillet. When it becomes hot, reduce the flame to medium low and grease it with oil. Pour 1/2 cup or 3/4 th ladle of batter on it and slightly spread it in the middle. Try and spread it as thin as possible. Pour 1/2 tsp of oil all around the uthappam and cook. When it becomes golden on one side, flip it to the other side and cook it to a golden colour.

Remove and serve hot with carrot chutney or coriander chutney and sambar.

Note: If you keep the batter for a long time, the semolina will soak up all the water and the batter will become thick and soggy. Add buttermilk and water just before you begin to prepare the uthappams or savoury pancakes.

Bisi Bela Baath with Oats

Rice

A healthy alternative to the traditional dish from Karnataka, made with oats, lentils and veggies. This dish has to be eaten hot and if left to become cold, will not taste good.

Ingredients:

Oats – 1 1/4 cup

Tur dal – 1 cup

Water – 4 cups

Peas – 6 to 7 pods

Carrot – 1 small

Beans – 4 to 5

Shallots – 5

Potato – 1 small

Ghee – 2 to 3 tablespoon

Tamarind water – 1/4 cup

Bisi bela powder – 4 tbsp or more if you want spicier

Jaggery – 1/4 tablespoon

Cashews – 10 – 12 pieces

Salt to taste

Seasoning:

Red chillies – 2

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1/2 tsp

Home made powder

Oil – 1 tsp

Coriander seeds – 3 tsp

Urad dal – 2 tsp

Bengal gram/Channa Dal – 1 tsp

Cinnamon – 2 inch stick

Cloves – 2

Dry red chillies – 7 or 8

Khus khus – 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1/4 tsp

Pepper – 1/4 tsp

Dry coconut (Copra) – 1 or coconut – 1/2

Add dal with 4 cups of water in pressure cooker and cook

Pulse the ingredients for the powder finely in a mixie.

Bisi bela baath powder:

Heat 1 tsp of oil and saute coriander seeds, jeera, pepper, bengal gram dal, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and red chillies.

Saute until dal starts to change color. Add khus khus and saute for few seconds on low heat.

Add the dry coconut and saute for few minutes on low heat, stirring continuously. Or if coconut is used, it is to be roasted slightly and then powdered alongwith the other ingredients.

Turn off the heat and leave it to cool and powder it coarsely.

Preparation:

Wash dal first and cook it in pressure cooker with water for 2 whistles and keep it on low flame for 10 minutes. Put off the flame and then, open the cooker after it is cooled, mash it a little and close and keep it aside, once the dal is cooked.

Heat 1 tsp ghee. Add shallots, beans cut into 1/4 inch pieces, peas and carrot sliced small and saute for some time. When it is cooked, add tamarind water and jaggery powder.

Let it boil until raw smell leaves. Add bisi bele bath powder (I use home made powder).

Let it boil for 2 minutes. Add the mashed dal and stir well. Then add the oats and cook it well. Make sure to stir as it may turn lumpy. Keep it on slow fire for about 3 -4 minutes. You may add 1/4 cup hot water if it becomes too thick.

Heat a tbsp of ghee and fry cashews until golden, remove. In the same kadai, add the seasonings listed under ‘seasoning’ and let it splutter.Add the seasonings also to the rice and dal. Mix well and serve hot with a tsp of ghee. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Oats Upma

Breakfast

I have always looked for recipes using oats as they are a good source of fibre, minerals and antioxidants. This one is an easy and quick oats recipe which can be done in a jiffy.

Ingredients:

Oats – 6 tbsp

Water – 1 1/4 cup

Green chillies – 3 slit lengthwise

Peas- 1 tbsp

Cauliflower flowerettes chopped – 3 small pieces

Carrot – 2 inch pieces chopped

Beans – 3 cut into 1 inch pieces

Onion – 1/2 chopped finely

Jeera powder – 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Seasoning:

Mustard – 1/2 tsp

Udad dal – 1/4 tsp

Jeera – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaf – 1 sprig

Preparation:

Heat oil. Add the seasonings. Then add the green chillies and onions and saute well. Then add the carrots, cauliflower and saute again. After 2 minutes, add the peas and beans and saute well. Then goes in the jeera powder and turmeric powder. Add water and let it boil for 2 minutes. Season with salt. Then add the oats and keep stirring so that lumps are not formed. Then, close the lid and let it cook. Once it is cooked, add a dash of lime and serve. Garnish it with coriander leaves.