+++
title = "Breakfast Oatmeal"
date = 2024-09-24
[taxonomies]
tags = ["food"]
+++

I've developed quite a liking for oatmeal over the past couple of months. Note
I'm from a country where it is not a common food whatsoever and I never knew of
it growing up. It's become my breakfast of choice most days, and I have many
variations of it which I wanted to document here:

# Sweet Variations

Sweet is how I like to have it most of the time, with some sweetener and maybe
flavorings and topped with fruit, nuts, and often nut butter. My go to lately
is with vanilla-flavored soy protein powder, a sliced banana, peanut butter,
nuts, dark chocolate. Raisins mixed in and cinnamon are common additions too.
I cook it on the stove-top at a low simmer for 10 or 15 minutes so it softens
and absorbs a lot of water. As for measurements, I do ½ cup of rolled oats
(though lately I've been doing ¼ cup oats + ~10g oat bran) and ½ tsp chia
seeds, cooked in initially 1 cup of liquid (water, plant milk, or a
combination) with a pinch of salt, usually adding more plant milk as it
thickens (I like it on the looser end). I mix in the protein powder at the end
of cooking if I'm adding it or I'll add some sweetener to taste (maple
syrup/honey/stevia/a combination). I go for old fashioned rolled oats as
opposed to the quick cooking kind for texture.

![picture of oatmeal](/asset/oat1.jpg "with banana, nuts, pb, dark chocolate")

# Savory Variations

Some days I crave something savory in the morning instead, though it's also a
quick & comforting option for dinner. Apparently people in the English-speaking
internet find savory oats weird, but I never grew up with oatmeal of any sort
so I don't have that strong association with sweet oats that seems common. To
me it's just another cereal grain like rice so it makes sense for savory
applications too. Anyway for savory versions I like creamy and soft oats,
similar to congee/rice porridge. Seasoned with salt and some combination of
boullion powder, oyster sauce, soy sauce, miso paste... Simple spices like
black pepper, maybe turmeric, cumin, smoked paprika.. I love adding spinach and
mushrooms, and I often make an aromatic base with sauteed onions and/or garlic
before adding the rest of the ingredients. Sesame seeds, runny egg, sriracha,
nattō, are some great toppings in my rotation. My preference with savory oats
is to use the quick cooking kind.

![picture of oatmeal](/asset/oat2.jpg "with mushroom, greens, natto, egg, furikake")