If you do not have enough time to make oats rotis and dosas,here are some alternate Indian recipes to incorporate oats into your diet using steel-cut oats. “Steel-cut oats (also known as Irish style oats or Scotch oats or pinhead oats) are unrefined and most closely resemble the natural oat grain”. Some say that steel-cut oats have more health benefits than rolled oats.

For more information visit Kitchen Dictionary: oatmeal, McCann's Products. Nutrition:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/CL00002 and WHFoods: Oats.

However, those who are not used to much fibre should introduce fibre into their diet gradually, in small amounts.

Note:

Most of the recipes listed below recommend roasting of the steel cut oats. However, you may skip the roasting process if you prefer. Roasting makes the oat grains separate somewhat. It is advisable to roast the oats for uppiTTu, vAngibhAt, and pAyasa. (The packages recommend cooking in a pan on stovetop using 4 c of water to 1 c of steel-cut oats. This way, it takes about 30 min to cook them completely.) Pressure cooking is better as it is energy efficient and retains the nutrient value better.

You would use the steel-cut oats as you would cracked wheat. You may substitute cracked wheat for steel-cut oats adjusting the cooking time for the wheat.

1. Steel Cut Oats Plain

1 c steel-cut oats, 1 ½ c water, salt to taste.

Roast steel-cut oats in microwave on high for 1 ½-2 min stirring in between. Place pressure cooker on the stove. Add 2 c of water in the bottom of the cooker. Place a container inside the cooker. Pour the roasted oats (or unroasted) into that container. Add 1 ½ c water to the oats and salt to taste. Stir to mix. Place a lid on the container inside the pressure cooker . Close the pressure cooker. Pressure cook with the weight on, for about 10-15 minutes,depending on the efficiency of your cooker (I use a small Vinod cooker; I reduce the heat to a notch above medium heat after the first whistle. I let it go for about 7-8 whistles before switching it off).

Take care to remove the lid only after the pressure has totally subsided.

NOTE: Oats need to be cooked for about 3 whistles more than needed for cooking dal. Do not place the oats directly in the cooker as the bottom may burn if there is not enough water to cook that long. You can eat these cooked plain oats as you would rice, with huLi (sAmbAr), SAru (rasam) etc.

2. Steel-cut Oats Bisibele Bhath (bisibELe bhAt)

1 c steel-cut oats, ½ c moong dal, 6 beans ,1-2 carrots, 1 bell pepper (capsicum), 2 tomatoes, ½ tsp haldi, salt to taste.

For tempering (oggaraNe/taDkA):

1 Tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, 6-8 curry leaves, pinch of asafoetida, 2 broken dry red chillies.

For the masala:

¼ c coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin, ½ -1 tsp black pepper, ½ tsp methi seeds, 4 cloves, 1 ½ sticks cinnamon (3”), 1 tsp khus khus, 5 dry red chillies, 2 Tsp dry coconut. Roast the ingredients for masala till golden brown. Grind into a fine powder or you can grind them to a paste with a little water.

Cut beans, carrots, and bell pepper into 1” long strips. Chop the tomatoes into 1” cubes.

Roast the steel-cut oats in the microwave on high for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Proceed to cook them in the pressure cooker as for “Steel Cut Oats Plain” listed above. Or you can cook them in a pan as per instructions on the package. Do not add salt yet.

In the meantime, in a separate pan, (make sure it is big enough to hold the dal and the oats later; they yield quite a bit) start cooking moong dal with haldi and 1 ½ c water on medium high heat. Let it come to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Keep stirring in between to make sure it does not boil over or does not get burnt.

Add the cut carrots and beans to the dal when it is half cooked.

Add the ground masala and one chopped tomato. Puree the other and add it to the dal.

Add salt. Keep adding more water as needed. It should be of idli batter consistency.

Once the steel-cut oats are cooked, add them to the dal mix. Keep stirring to make sure it does not burn.

Once the dal is completely cooked and the mix thickens (vada mix consistency), add the tempering 5 minutes before removing from stove.

Tempering: Heat oil. Add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle add urad dal, curry leaves, asafoetida and red chillies. Stir till urad dal turns golden brown. Add the cut bell pepper pieces. Stir till they are semi soft. Add to the bhAt mix .

Note: You can skip the tempering to keep it almost non fat. The only fat is from the coconut and the oats.

3. Steel-cut Oats tarakAri uppiTTu (Vegetable Upma)

1 c steel-cut oats, ¼ c chopped carrots (¼” pieces), ¼ c chopped beans (¼” pieces), 2 Tsp finely chopped fresh coriander, 6 curry leaves, slit green chillies to taste, 2 Tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard, pinch of asafoetida, salt to taste.

Roast the steel-cut oats in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes. Start heating a pan on medium heat. Add oil and mustard. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add asafoetida, curry leaves, green chillies. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté them for a minute. Add 1 ½ c water, salt and fresh coriander. Add the roasted oats and stir. Transfer this mix into a cooker container and proceed to pressure cook as for “Steel Cut Oats Plain” listed above.

Once the pressure subsides, take the uppiTTu out and stir it with a fork so grains can separate. You can microwave it for another 2-3 min as per individual preference, to make it softer and to separate the grains to some extent.

4. Steel-cut Oats Vangibhath (vAngibhAt)

1 c steel-cut oats, ¼ c chopped carrots (¼” pieces), ¼ c fresh or frozen avarekALu (surti papdi lilva) or ¼ c chopped beans (¼"pieces), 1 small tomato chopped, 1- 2 Tsp finely chopped fresh coriander, 1 Tsp curry leaves cut into half , 2 tsp vangibhath powder (MTR or your own) , 2 tsp dry coconut powder, 2 Tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard, ¼ tsp haldi, pinch of asafoetida, salt to taste.

Roast the steel-cut oats in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes stirring in between. Start heating a pan on medium heat. Add oil and mustard. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add asafoetida and haldi. Add the curry leaves and the chopped vegetables except tomatoes and sauté them for a minute. Add the dry coconut, vangibhath powder and stir. Add tomatoes and sauté for another minute. Add 1 ½ c water, salt and the roasted oats. Stir in fresh coriander. Transfer this mix into a cooker container and proceed to pressure cook as for “Steel Cut Oats Plain” listed above.

Once the pressure subsides, take the vangibhath out and stir it with a fork so grains can separate. You can microwave it for another 2-3 min as per individual preference, to make it softer and to separate the grains to some extent.

*Cooking Uppittu and Vangibhath in a pan and not pressure cooker:

Follow instructions upto the point of adding water. Now, proceed as folllows.

Add to the vegetable mix, 4 cups of water, fresh coriander and salt. Let the water come to a boil. Lower the heat so the water is simmering. Add the roasted oats gradually, stirring all the while. Let the oats cook till water evaporates. Stir in between. . You can microwave it for another 2-3 min as per individual preference, to make it softer and to separate the grains to some extent.

5. Steel-Cut Oats Sajjige ( Halva/ShirA)

This is not a low cal recipe, but a very tasty one. It can also be very filling. You can make it heart friendly by omitting ghee, cashews and coconut. This is definitely a sure bet to introduce someone to oats.,This can be a substitute for the regular sooji ka halva.

1 c steel-cut oats, 1 1/3 c grated jaggery (bella/guD) or brown sugar available in the American stores, 3 Tsp chopped almonds/cashews/pistachio slightly roasted (optional in ghee), ½ tsp cardamom powder, and/or 2 Tsp dry coconut shredded (optional), 1 Tsp ghee (optional).

Proceed to cook oats as for “ Steel Cut Oats Plain” listed above, without the salt. In the meantime, mix jaggery in 1 c water in a pan and start heating it on medium high. Add cardamom powder (Optional : add the dry coconut) after a minute or two. Stir once in a while till the mix thickens to nearly a syrupy consistency. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cooked oats. Add a little more water if necessary as the oats can take a little more cooking (keep it to vada dough consistency). Keep stirring till the mix starts leaving the sides of the pan.. Add the nuts and ghee (optional) and stir for another minute or two, making sure the mix stays moist by adding a little water if necessary. Microwave for 2-3 minutes to steam it well. Microwaving gives it a nice soft texture. It also sets the mix. You can place the sajjige in individual serving bowls and microwave to get the mix set. Serve hot.

Note: Take care to keep the sajjige moist all the while.