Wholesome, flavour packed, fibre-rich savory oatmeal packed with goodness of rolled oats and vegetables like carrots, tomato, peas, bell peppers etc is perfect for healthy breakfast or lunch. It is is vegan, gluten free, easy & quick to make.
The oats recipe is adapted from Indian ‘Kanda poha’ where flattened rice flakes are soaked, drained and tossed in stir fried onions, potato and spices. As a kid, we had it at home as breakfast or in lunch box at least once a week and I was still making it the same way until I tried it with oats and totally loved it.
I loaded it with lots of veggies to make it more nutrient-dense but kept the same spices to not miss the traditional poha flavours. If you are looking for savory breakfast ideas, then I would totally recommend adding this in your list along with other recipes on blog like chickpea flour pancakes (besan chilla), savory veggie muffins or moong dal chilla (lentil crepes).
The savoury oats recipe shared here is:
- High protein
- Vegetarian (no egg)
- Ready in 15 minutes
- Perfect for healthy breakfast, kids lunch box or quick meal.
Oats Poha Ingredients:
Oats: I have used gluten free old fashioned rolled oats to make this recipe as I personally do not like the texture of porridge or oatmeal made with ‘instant or quick oats’. If you want light and non-sticky texture, old fashioned oats is the best choice.
We will soak them in water for a short time, drain and then add them to stir fried vegetables. They will then we covered & cooked just enough to make tender but not mushy (just like the way traditional poha made with flattened rice flakes).
Veggies: Fresh seasonal vegetables like onion, tomato, bell peppers, carrots, peas etc add flavour, fibre and make these oats more filling. Other veggies like boiled potatoes, sweet corn, broccoli, spinach or sautéed mushrooms can also be added. If you like spicy food, then you can also use green chillies or jalapeños.
Peanuts: The roasted peanuts add contrasting crunchy nutty texture to the dish and make it even more satisfying to eat. Instead of peanuts, you can use cashews or even skip adding them to make nut free oats.
Spices: The savory oats are seasoned using few simple spices like mustard seeds, red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper), salt and turmeric. Mustard seeds together with fresh curry leaves add wonderful aroma to the dish but as curry leaves are not available everywhere you can skip adding it.
Oil: Use any cooking oil of your choice like sunflower, peanut, avocado, olive or canola oil.
Herbs & Lemon juice: A generous garnish of fresh chopped cilantro (or coriander) and lemon juice instantly add fresh zesty flavour to the dish. I would totally recommend not skipping these two.
Variations:
Oats Bread Poha: Some people don’t like oats because of the ‘weird oatmeal flavour’ (like my mom). If you are also one of those people or you have kids at home who refuse to eat oats, then cut 1 or 2 whole wheat bread slices into cubes and add them when you are mixing oats and veggies shown in last step of recipe (just like you make bread poha). This somehow masks the oats flavour and even oat-haters eat it happily.
Mixed Oats Poha: You can make this oats poha upma using half quantity of regular poha and half quantity of oats.
More breakfast oats recipes (without eggs):
- Oats Pancakes
- Blended Baked Oats
- Mango Overnight Oats
- Breakfast Oatmeal Bars
- Air fryer Baked Oats (no banana)
Ingredients: (For 2 to 3 servings)
- Rolled Oats (or Old fashioned Oats)- 1+1/4 cups
- Onions (finely chopped)- 1/4 cup
- Carrots (chopped)- 1/4 cup
- Frozen Peas (thawed)- 1/4 cup
- Bell Pepper (chopped)- 1/4 cup
- Tomatoes (chopped)- 1/4 cup
- Olive Oil (or any cooking oil)- 3 tsp
- Peanuts- 2 tsp (optional)
- Mustard seeds (Rai)- 1 tsp
- Curry Leaves- 5 to 6 (optional)
- Red Chilli Powder / Cayenne Pepper- 1/3 tsp (to taste)
- Turmeric (Haldi)- 1/2 tsp
- Salt- 1 tsp (to taste)
- Chopped Cilantro / Coriander- 2 tbsp (for garnishing)
- Lemon Juice- 1 tsp
Directions:
Step 1:
Soak rolled (or old flashioned) oats in 2 cups of water for 4-5 minutes. The soaking time for oats can vary depending on their thickness. If they are less thick in texture, 2-3 minutes of soaking time is sufficient. Once done, transfer them on colander and keep aside (while the oats are soaking you can do other steps).
Step 2:
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add peanuts to it and roast for 2-3 minutes on medium low flame. Take them out of the pan and keep aside. (If you want to keep the recipe nut free, skip this step)
Step 3:
Add 1-2 tsp more oil in pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Sauté till seeds begin to splutter. (If you want to add chopped green chillies, add them at this step)
Step 4:
Add thawed peas and chopped carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring in between till the carrots begin to soften up.
Step 5:
Add chopped onions, bell pepper (capsicum) and cook till onions become slightly translucent in colour.
Then add tomatoes, stir & cook for one more minute.
Step 6:
Add soaked & drained oats to these cooked vegetables along with salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Mix gently. Add 1 tbsp water, cover the pan with lid and cook for 3 minutes on low flame. Turn off the flame but keep the lid on for another 2 minutes.
Step 7:
Open the lid & fluff the oats with fork. They should become tender but not mushy (If you want softer texture, add more water & cook for longer time). Add roasted peanuts, chopped cilantro and sprinkle lemon juice on them. Mix gently and serve hot.
You can garnish with more herbs or roasted peanuts before serving.
These breakfast oats can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in fridge for 2-3 days. Similary any leftovers, can also be stored to be consumed later. To reheat, add a splash of water to them and microwave for a minute.
Tips:
- Over-soaking can make the oats mushy and porridge like. If you want each grain separated after cooking (like rice), do not oversoak them.
- Feel free to add other vegetables of your choice like green chillies, ginger, boiled potatoes, sweet corn or spinach.
- If you like slightly sweet poha, add 1-2 tsp sugar along with spices in step 6.
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(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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