Low-Carb Tangy Savory Oatmeal and Lentil Bowls – Dal oats

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This Tangy Savory Oatmeal and Lentil bowl is a product of desperation and necessity. For the life in me, I can’t have sweet oatmeal! I just can’t! If I am having sweet oats, it has to be cold and overnight. Cooked, warm sweet oatmeal just makes me gag. And is also the reason whyyy I thought healthy eating wasn’t for me and I just totally gave up on adding cooked oats in my diet. Instead, I stuck with Veggie Skewers and Spicy Moong Masoor dal

But like they say…necessity is the mother of invention…which came true for me in this case! Now I know Oats Haleem is a thing and I’ve had it. But I wanted something devoid of Animal Protein and still be filling. What started off as an experiment, has now become a regular part of our meal plans in the house. And has given birth to multiple different versions! This version is quite popular hence sharing this one first. This bowl of Lentil and oats uses Red lentils (masoor ki dal) and the tarmarind paste to make it tangy. The texture is pretty similar to that of haleem. Its full blown piece of South Asia in a bowl. The spice mix is also quite similar to that of khatti dal (tangy lentils)

A LITTLE STEP BY STEP WALKTHROUGH

So you probably know how Pakistanis and Indians make dal. We cook dal in spices and then top it off with aromatic spices fried in ghee/oil, which we like to call Tarka. In this particular recipe, we are going to prepare it in reverse. We are going to prepare the Tarka or Tempered Spice mix first and then cook the dal. 

Start by adding oil, cumin seeds and mustard seeds and sliced onion in a large pot. Saute this at medium flame, till your onions start to turn translucent. Then add Chopped coriander and green chilies and fry the lot til everything turns golden brown. 

I like to take out a table spoon of this fried onion herb mix to use later as a garnish and a crunchy topping to my lentil oats. (because you know….fried food feels :S)

Next, chuck in chopped tomatoes, garlic paste and all the spices (namely salt, turmeric, red chili powder and flakes) Give it a good stir and add in your red lentils and oats.

Add 5 cups of water, cover your pot and let the lentil oats cook at medium to high flame. It’ll take about 20 to 30 minutes. 

(Also, since dal has a tendency to boil over, don’t cover the lid completely and leave the pot slightly open. You can also use instant pot or pressure cooker for this recipe)

After 30 minutes, your lentil oats will have a thick consistency. Whisk the whole mix a little bit to make sure it isn’t getting burnt on the sides. 

Dissolve 1 tbsp of tamarind in about 1/2 cup of water. Add tamarind to the lentil oats and let it cook at low flame for another 10 mins. Adjust the spices and seasoning and you are done!

Serve garnished with the fried onion coriander or you know fry some extra onions to go on top (cz I would legit do that!) Jokes apart, I actually do top it off with chopped salad leaves and other salady things to give me crunch! Cz baby….crunch is important. 

RECIPE ALTERATIONS

• This recipe yields about 3 bowls or servings of Lentil Oats. Just reduce everything to half if you are skeptical about trying it for the first time. 
• Skip the red chili flakes and green chilies if you can’t handle heat.
• Add a splash of water when you are reheating it the next day.
• I absolutely loveeee the Tanginess from the Tamarind pulp, so I mostly go overboard with that….just saying

TANGY SAVORY OATMEAL AND LENTIL BOWL

Tangy Savory Oatmeal and Lentil bowl

Yield: 3 bowls of Oats

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

This bowl of savory oats is made by cooking lentils and oats in a mix of spices, tomatoes, onions and tamarind.

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup lentils
• 1 big onions sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds (zeera)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds (rye dana)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 green chilies chopped
• A handful of chopped coriander
• 1 large tomato
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup whole rolled oats
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili flakes (skip if you don't want spicy oats)
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 5 cups of water
• 1 tbsp tamarind pulp

Instructions

1. Wash the red lentils and Soak in water (for 20 min)
2. In a large pot, add oil, sliced onions, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Saute at medium to high flame.
3. When onion turns translucent, add chopped coriander and chopped green chilis.
4. Saute till the onion turns slightly golden brown and coriander turns crispy. Take out a table spoon of the mixture and set aside for garnish.
5. Add a little water, chopped tomatoes, garlic paste and all the spices. Saute for for 1 to 2 mins
6. Add your pre-soaked lentils and oats in the pot.
7. Add 5 cups of water and bring the lentil oats to a boil.
8. Cover the pan and let it cook at medium to high heat for about 30 minutes.
9. After 30 minutes the oats and lentil would have thickened. Use a whisk and whisk through the mixture, making sure it isn't getting burnt from lower edges. (Add an insulating pan below if you feel it is sticking on the sides of the pot)
10. Add tamarind pulp dissolved in 1/2 cup water, cover the lid again and let the lentil oats cook at low flame for another 20 mins.
11. Check the salt and sour level, add more salt or tamarind if needed.
12. Turn off the flame at desired consistency. Garnish with the fried onion-coriander mix set aside.
13. Eat plain or with chopped onions and tomatoes added to it.

Notes

This recipe yields 3 bowls of thickish lentil oats. You can keep it in the fridge for upto a week.

Reheat in a pot with a dash of water or in the microwave.

Skip red chili flakes and reduce the chili powder to half, if you can't handle spicy food.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 406 Total Fat: 26g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 22g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 1037mg Carbohydrates: 42g Fiber: 16g Sugar: 7g Protein: 11g

Oh and If you guys are into mindful eating, click here to check out some other healthy recipes on the blog for inspo. Until next time my loveliess! Byeeee