Oats upma

I found steel cut oats in the grocery store and was wondering what different I can make apart from the usual porridge. I was in for something savory and thought why not try Indian style upma with lots of vegetables in it and it turned out very good. It tastes similar to broken wheat and very different from the usual oats since the oats was dry roasted and it increased its nutty flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup-Steel cut oats
• 1-2- carrots chopped
• 1/2 cup-frozen peas
• 1-Onion  chopped
• 2-3-Green chillies chopped/dried red chillies
• 1-2 tsp-Ginger chopped /paste
• 1 tsp-olive/gingerly Oil
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups-Water

Seasoning

• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Chana dal – 1 tbsp
• Urad dal – 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves – few(optional)
• Coriander leaves-garnish

Directions

1. Dry roast the stone cut oats on medium flame for about 5-10 mins till you get the aroma from the oats.
2. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large, deep skillet. Splutter mustard seeds, and roast urad dal, chana dal, green chillies and curry leaves.
3. Then sauté onion till it turns soft/transparent and then add the carrots. Add water to the vegetables and bring to a boil.
4. Add ginger ,salt and oats, and mix thoroughly. Cover and cook over a medium flame for 15-20 minutes. When done, oats should be soft, but chewy. If oats is not cooked through, sprinkle some more water, mix, cover and cook for additional 5 minutes. (after removing from flame, close the pan with a  lid and allow it to set for another five minutes before serving)
5. Garnish with chopped coriander leave and serve it with any chutney /pickle/yogurt.

Tip: Stone cut or stone ground oats takes a longer time to cook when compared to rolled oats.

Benefits of Oats

• Steel-cut oats are whole grain oats, the inner portion of the oat kernel, which have been cut into only two or three pieces.
• These essential grains are inherently full of nutritional value and are high in B-vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber while low in salt and unsaturated fat. One cup of steel-cut oatmeal contains 8 g of insoluble fiber.
• Because of this it takes longer to digest, making us feel fuller for a longer period of time.
• Steel-cut oats have a lower glycemic index than instant oatmeal,causing a smaller insulin spike when consumed. Oats reduce cholesterol, high blood pressure and help prevent heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
• One of the most significant health benefits of Steel-cut oats is that they help eliminate fat and cholesterol from the body. Studies show that in individuals with high cholesterol (above 220) consuming just 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%.

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