Cooking @ Dawn: Masala Oats
New revelation for this Caribbean chica. No it's not about chocolate or chicken. It's oats and it's not boring. Today breakfast becomes dinner.
One of the things the green tea Oreos, shrimp Lays, hawthorne Tang and rice meals in KFC taught me is that the food industry doesn't just carbon copy its products. Oh no! The market determines the expectations. The customer forever is right.
My India friend and I got caught up in cuisine comparisons within five minutes of conversing. In India, Quaker Oats comes in masala and lemon grass and vegetable flavour. Maggi, another Caribbean favourite also produces a masala flavoured seasoning mix. Before I could register this shocking news, my friend picked up my oats and a pack of her masala and headed to the kitchen.
I have always been vehemently against the idea of savoury oats but since I had been wrong in the past (remember sweet potatoes and yogurt), I was willing to be schooled.
This dish is so simple. Starting off with a heated frying pan, melt two spoons of cream cheese. Add in about a cup of oats and allow it to toast and cook on high heat. At this point add the seasoning, a least one packet to start, and allow that to toast as well. This allows causes the flavours to 'activate'. You can add a little more cream cheese if you desire but if not, pour about half cup water and allow the final cooking to take place. Easy peasy cheesy, spicy oats.
And if I wasn't sold on the idea, I certainly won't be posting it here. You totally forget that you're eating oats.
Masala is a mix of coriander, cumin, bay leaves, mace, fennel, cloves and cinnamon. So if you don't have access to the mix, try some of the ingredients. Whatever you choose, know that savoury oats is a must-have!
One of the things the green tea Oreos, shrimp Lays, hawthorne Tang and rice meals in KFC taught me is that the food industry doesn't just carbon copy its products. Oh no! The market determines the expectations. The customer forever is right.
My India friend and I got caught up in cuisine comparisons within five minutes of conversing. In India, Quaker Oats comes in masala and lemon grass and vegetable flavour. Maggi, another Caribbean favourite also produces a masala flavoured seasoning mix. Before I could register this shocking news, my friend picked up my oats and a pack of her masala and headed to the kitchen.
I have always been vehemently against the idea of savoury oats but since I had been wrong in the past (remember sweet potatoes and yogurt), I was willing to be schooled.
This dish is so simple. Starting off with a heated frying pan, melt two spoons of cream cheese. Add in about a cup of oats and allow it to toast and cook on high heat. At this point add the seasoning, a least one packet to start, and allow that to toast as well. This allows causes the flavours to 'activate'. You can add a little more cream cheese if you desire but if not, pour about half cup water and allow the final cooking to take place. Easy peasy cheesy, spicy oats.
And if I wasn't sold on the idea, I certainly won't be posting it here. You totally forget that you're eating oats.
Masala is a mix of coriander, cumin, bay leaves, mace, fennel, cloves and cinnamon. So if you don't have access to the mix, try some of the ingredients. Whatever you choose, know that savoury oats is a must-have!
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