Oats Upma

Makes about just ONE serving
Oats is not a new comer to our kitchen. Karthik and I, being devoted fans to oatmeal, it has become a permanent resident, so to speak. But it is yet an alien to Tamil, my 'no-goey-meal-please' husband. Ever since I learnt about the goodness of Oats and Flaxseeds, it is hard to stop pester/traumatise him with a bag full of those goodies. I spotted this '5 grain hot cereal with Rolled Oats and Flaxseeds' pack and can't resist the urge to welcome it to my pantry. After days of waiting, one fine day, Tamil settled for a deal to try them for breakfast as a porridge with buttermilk & salt. Out of the blue moon, last night he suggested, "why not make Upma out of Oats?" That sounded feasible. He even pitched in with the tips - soak the oats instead of cook in boiling water and end up in a goey stuff. Can't wait till breakfast the next morning..so we decided to venture in the kitchen and try it for dinner. He absolutely loved it! He loved the chewy texture and upma tasted divine - he certified it as "tastier than regular rava upma". So here is to all those 'Oat haters'..Now hail, "I can't believe it is Oats" and enjoy this savory dish.
Ingredients:
whole rolled oats - 1/4 cup
water - 1/4 cup
frozen peas-carrots - 1/4 cup
onion - 1/2 medium size, finely chopped
green chilly - 1 long, finely sliced
ginger - 1/4 inch piece, diced into bits
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
peanuts - 1 tbsp
To season:
oil - 2 tsp
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
chana dhal - 1 tsp
urid dhal - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
curry leaves - 4
salt - 1/4 tsp
Procedure:

• Soak the rolled oats in water for about 3 mins
• While it is soaking, cut your onion, green chilly, ginger
• In a hot pan, add 2 tsp of oil, season it with mustard seeds, chana dhal, urid dhal, cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, ginger, raw peanuts (you can add them as is or coarsely crush them and add) and saute until chana dhal, peanuts are golden brown and crispy. Do not brown them all.
• Now add the onions and saute until they turn translucent
• sprinkle some salt, turmeric powder
• Add the vegetables (I added frozen peas and carrot - they cook very quick) and saute well
• When the veges are done, (you may cobver and cook if they are not frozen), drain the oats really well and add them to the pan. Do not squeeze the oats though. It will get mushy.
• Saute the oats for about 3 mins with frequent stirring. You may sprinlke the drained water now and then, to get the oats cooked. Cover and cook for another minute on really low flame.
• Adjust salt and serve hot as is or with any chutney/chai/tea.
• This is a healthy, tasty, easy breakfast for those 'no-no to oats' eaters.

Just in case, you wonder: The Oats pack I used is Bob's Red Mill 5 grain Hot cereal. It contains Oats, Wheat, Barley, Rye, Triticale & Flaxseeds. Never attempt this Upma with instant oats.