Say Yes To Good Health With These Savoury Oats Recipes

If you’re looking for a healthier carbohydrate to include in your everyday cooking, look no further. Low in fat, high in fibre, and packed with phosphorus, magnesium and zinc, oats can be used as a base for several delicious dishes, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Here are two options that your family will love.

Oats and Vegetable Pancake

Another version of chila, this pancake made with oats is crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. A little tarty from the yogurt, it makes for a delicious breakfast option you can enjoy with chutney or sauce. It can also be a nutrient-rich replacement for roti to go along with dal.

Makes: 4-5 pancakes

How to: Take 1 cup rolled oats and lightly roast them for 2 minutes on a hot pan, stirring them constantly so that they don’t burn. Once done, put aside and let them cool.

On a chopping board or in a vegetable chopper, finely chop 1 capsicum, 1 onion and 1 carrot, 1 green chilli and some coriander leaves. In a mixer grinder, grind the oats till they turn into a coarse powder. In a big mixing bowl, add the cooled roasted ground oats, ½ cup of semolina, ½ cup of curd, chopped vegetables, salt, a pinch of pepper and enough water to form a pancake-like batter.

Heat a non-stick pan and drop a ladleful of batter; spread it evenly with the ladle to form a half-inch-thick pancake. Take a teaspoon of oil and pour it around the sides of the pan. Once it’s crisp, gently press the pancake with a flat spatula and turn it over. Add another teaspoon of oil on the sides and let it crisp. Serve with tomato ketchup and green chutney.

Oats Khichdi

This hearty meal is perfect when you want to have a light and easy lunch or dinner that’s packed with nutrition. Quick to put together, in this khichdi, rice is replaced by healthy oats, which are easier to digest and good for the gut. It’s comfort food like none other.

Makes: 2 servings

How to: Wash and soak ¼ cup of yellow moong dal. In a 2-litre pressure cooker on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of ghee. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and 1 small bay leaf and let the seeds crackle. Add 1 big chopped onion. Saute till the onion turns pink. Add 1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste and 1 chopped green chilli and saute. Add 1 chopped tomato and saute till it softens.

Add 1 cup of chopped mixed vegetables such as carrot, potatoes, peas and beans and saute for a minute. Add the moong dal and fry for two minutes. Add ½ cup of rolled oats, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder and stir for two minutes. Pour 2-2½ cups of water to cover the mixture.

On medium flame, pressure cook for up to 3 whistles. Open and add a pinch of garam masala and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and mix them well. Now serve it garnished with coriander leaves.