There’s nothing more nourishing than a hearty breakfast of oatmeal/ oats porridge. High in fiber, low in sugar, this heart healthy whole grain breakfast makes you feel more energetic to take on the day. I prefer steel cut oats to instant or old fashioned rolled oats. They are least processed and love the way they taste and the texture they have. They remind me of ‘meetha dalia’ my mother used to make for breakfast. Dalia (दलिय़ा) is a hindi term used for cracked wheat. It is similar to steel cut oats and a traditional breakfast food on cold winter mornings. Oats were unheard of while I was growing up but in last few years it became part of Indian breakfast repertoire and now oats are widely used in sweet and savory recipes.
I cook oats porridge with warm spices, the same way as my mother cooked meetha dalia, without milk (it is added after), but you can cook it in milk or take equal parts water and milk. Steel cut oats take longer to cook than dalia, hence some folks soak it prior to cooking or they use slow cooker. But as it reheats perfectly by adding little water or milk, I cook at night for next day’s breakfast. Regardless of what method you use for cooking, make sure to toast the oats in desi ghee or butter before adding any liquid. This really gives a yummy toasted flavor to oats and help reduce foaming while the pot is covered.
The basic ratio for making steel cut oats is 1 cup of oats to 3-4 cups of liquid, depending upon how thick you’d like them to be. You could cook the oats in all milk if you like or follow my recipe to a T.
An easy, healthy bowl of hot, tender, pearly oats, all creamy and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 3-4 cups water
- 1-2 black cardamom, shell discarded
- 2-3 cloves
- 1" cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp desi ghee ( or butter)
- 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds or walnuts (toasted)
- Sweetener (optional)
- Milk as needed
Instructions
- Heat desi ghee in a saucepan.
- Sizzle cloves, cinnamon stick and black cardamom seeds.
- Add oats, toast them until fragrant.
- Add water ( I use 3 1/2 cup). Bring it to boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring once and scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook until the oats are very tender and the oatmeal is as creamy as you like it. Longer cooking will make thicker oatmeal.
- Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Leave it on the stove for overnight.
- The next morning, uncover the pan and add milk. Bring the oatmeal back up to a simmer. Add raisins (if using). Remove cinnamon stick.
- When the oatmeal is warm, divide into bowls. Top it with chia seeds, toasted walnuts or almonds. Sprinkle cinnamon and enjoy!
Notes
You can add sweetener as you like.
Leftover oats porridge can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The first day, the oats will be more liquidy, but they will continue to absorb more of the milk throughout the week.
Blackswan
Totally agree with you, Balvinder. My hubby takes that every morning, but I don’t fancy oatmeal from young. Will show him your post later. I’m sure he’ll like it!
Balvinder
Sometimes it takes a long time to love oatmeal. Steel cut oats have wonderful chewy bite, I am sure you will love it with toppings of fresh fruit, little cream, maple syrup or whatever you fancy.
Amanda
What a great way to “spice up” my normal breakfast oatmeal!
Vicki Bensinger
I have oatmeal daily for breakfast with cinnamon and blueberries but your version sounds wonderful. I bet it smells just like the holidays. I will definitely give this a try.
Balvinder
I love blueberries for the topping but in cooler weather spice infused oatmeal with nuts is the way to go. do give this a try!
Vicki Bensinger
I definitely will.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
My husband loves oatmeal for the supper…and he is a fan of almonds..this is definitely the meal for him.
anne
I don’t usually eat oats during summertime but come winter , I eat it more and more , sometimes twice a day 😀 I haven’t tried steel-cut oats though 😛 I love how you spiced up your oats , me , more like with milk and raw sugar combo and sometimes with condensed milk , I know , I know lol
Balvinder
Oh no I am the same! If there is a can of condensed milk or cream open in the fridge, I do the same. Just to fool myself I add some skim milk. SSShhh.. No one know this in my house 😉
Monica
I am a huge fan of oatmeal. I used to eat slow-cooked oats but then discovered steel cut and fell in love with the chew and texture! I have a bowl at least 3-4x a week, sometimes as part of dinner (need to balance out all the sweets!). I never thought to warm it up with spices. I love the sound of yours. I would really relish a big bow of it – thanks for the idea!
Balvinder
Steel cut oats are the slow cooked oats. isn’t it? I love oatmeal but can not imagine myself eating it 3-4 times a week. Oats and spices taste wonderful in this cool weather, you can also add pumpkin puree to it.
yummychunklet
Love the look of your mix-ins!
Coffee and Crumpets
I like oatmeal, but can’t handle it everyday! I love it’s versatility and how lately, we have taken to making it in savoury form too, almost like a haleem.
Your steel cut oats look great, I need to get some of those, I am sure I would like them better too. I like the warm spices you’ve added, almost like a healthy dessert.
Balvinder
Thank you Nazneen, I do eat it as a dessert by topping with caramelized fruits. and also i agree about its versatility, it can be customized to suit sweet or savory tastes.
Sugar et al
What a great idea of spicing up the oatmeal. I am not a big fan of oatmeal but my kids eat it almost everyday whether they like it or not. I know they will like this version, so this will be given to them tomorrow. I especially love that you toasted them in ghee..yummy!
Balvinder
Thank you Sonali, I love using spices in my everyday cooking. I am surprised your kids eat steel cut oats twice a day. Do you cook them in bulk?
Chai a Cup of Life
I also prefer eating the steel cut oat, rather than instant. Perfect for winter.Thanks for reminding me Balvinder, I am going to get them out of the cupboard to eat tomorrow morning!!
Balvinder
Enjoy with spices!
Nava Krishnan
Shy to admit that breakfast is also missed. I am rushing in the morning, like on a roller blade. Its the weekend when we start with brunch. I adore this spicy version. I somehow have started liking oats very much and when the time is fine, will make your recipe and I am sure my other half will appreciate it.
Btw, my domain is still missing and have been sitting up until 5am, sorting it with Google. They fumbled and now are trying to rectify it.
Balvinder
Thank you Nava, you always appreciate my recipes in your own unique way. I feel sorry your domain is still missing. Hope the google people will soon rectify it.
ela@GrayApron
I definitely need to spice up my porridge! Thanks for the idea. Yours look fantastic 🙂
easyfoodsmith
The daliya was cooked in the same fashion, as your Mum cooked, in my house too. However, my Mum also used to add fruits chopped in it besides the nuts. I like the addition of cloves and cinnamon in this recipe.
Balvinder
Well I am sure there will be more mums like yours who cook daliya in the same fashion, after all it is northindian way of cooking. We loved eating fresh fruits with daliya instead of adding into it.
Kitchen Belleicious
love the spice aspect to them! What a great comforting warming dish for morning time
Jennifer Eloff
Love that you used steel cut oats. Comfort food for sure!
Balvinder
True!
Lail | With A Spin
I eat oatmeal almost every morning. Love the spices.
afracooking
Great for these dark cold mornings!
Balvinder
Thank you Afra.
Nami | Just One Cookbook
This is a nice alternative to the regular oatmeal! I love learning new ways to spice up (it really spice up for this case haha) to enjoy something new!
Norma Chang
Never thought of toasting the oatmeal before adding liquid, will do so next time I make it.
Pattie
I’m not sure why, but I got out of the habit of eating steel cut oats every morning. It used to be quite a ritual for my husband and me, and then for whatever reason we stopped. I recently picked up a container of them, and I think I’m going to start again. Your recipe here looks delicious.