"Orange and the lemon sold for a penny" ... I have been humming this since morning. I was trying to think of a food item beginning with O both from home and abroad and my brain is giving a lot of feed for O but sadly nothing related to food .
Onomatopoeia, Ozymandias ( i love that poem ) , Ottoman Turkish Empire , Ogre, Oliver Twist, Ophthalmologist , Olligarchy , Oblivion ... everything but food.
I opened the fridge to get something and then it stuck ... oh yeah oranges ! Thats when i started humming that song that we used to sing as little girls at play.
I finally decided to write about something that has started dominating the breakfast tables in South Indian homes in the past decade ! Oats or oatmeal !
It was in the early 2000s that it made its way into our kitchens, if I recall correctly. It sort of revolutionized the breakfast scene and became the sought after, healthier and easier, option. Most seniors these days break their fasts with oats kanji , in other words oats porridge. The typical process is - cook the oats on the stove or the microwave, add some buttermilk, some salt to taste and asafoedita powder and bingo ! Breakfast ready! A few prefer the milk and sugar porridge but majority like this one as far as I know.
We have started using oats to make traditional recipes too. Blend them to a powder and use it to make dosas(crepes) . Some even substitute it for rice and have it with the traditional Indian curries.
Personally i love oats soaked overnight in milk chilled and topped with fruits and nuts. Smoothie is another family favorite. Popping in some oats, milk, yoghurt, fruits and nuts into the blender and whipping up a nice consistency. Yumm!
How do you take your oats if you do ? Would love to hear!
Food for thought:
Cinema and movies are a big thing in India . Not just Bollywood, but many other Indian states have their own thriving cinema industry and South Indian cinema contributes a significant share to the total movies produced in the country. Superstar Rajinikanth is one of most popular actors in the history of Indian cinema. I am a huge fan. Fandom in India is at a deep emotional level that warrants an entire book in itself leave alone a blog post.
Without digressing further, the quote for today is from one of the very popular numbers in his film Muthu.
"Oruvan oruvan muthalali, ulagil matravan thozhilali"
Oruvan - only one
Muthalali - master
Thozhilali - employees or workers
Ulagu - world
This peppy song composed by Academy Award winner A R Rahman is great to listen to with deep philosophical lines. The translation is that there is only one master ( the Almighty) and all others are equal as workers or subordinates. Basically irrespective of who we are or what we are perceived as , we are all equal. Period.
It has further lines on how fighting over land is futile as life is short and in the end , land engulfs one and all . Youtube link below. Do listen, its a fun song!
I like oats (oatmeal) with just a little milk on them. My husband likes his with cinnamon, berries and milk :) Always delicious however they are served!
ReplyDeletebetty
Oh oats! What a useful post, I didn't know about oats kanji or smoothie until now! Will try these. I do make dosas, add oats to roti and idlis.
ReplyDeleteDropping by from momandideas.com
I like the movie Muthu.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a limerick for orange today. It doesn't drop until 4:18 a.m. my time. I like my posts to drop at the same time that matches today's date.
ReplyDeleteThats interesting :D
DeleteI used to eat my oats, steamed in milk (better than in water), with brown sugar and more milk on top. Maybe raisins. Then I found a healthy way to add protein: Whip up one egg, add a half-cup of oats, fry it together quickly, or microwave until chewy. Then I top with cinnamon and honey. I guess I like my oats sweet!
ReplyDeleteAh you reminded me of the song we used to sing while playing! Takes me right back to childhood!!!
ReplyDeleteI love oats.. masala oats more than sweet oats!
Hopping in from the A-Z community,
Dream
https://thedreamgirlwrites.wordpress.com/2022/04/01/anguish/
My hubby will often soak oats overnight and add fruit and yoghurt, I prefer mine more traditional - with milk and sugar but I usually add raisins too.
ReplyDeleteIt has taken me a while to become an oatmeal eater. My favorite is overnight oats, soaked with milk and yogurt and topped with berries and a little bit of honey.
ReplyDeleteOkra?
ReplyDeleteJust a thought ;)
Facing The Mountain
M not Grt fan of oats...gives me stomach irritation. NoWadays Millets also has craze in India...if i hav to eat i eat plain ones with added veg
ReplyDeleteLast month my sister and I met up for a long overdue catch-up (post covid). For the entire week, we ate oats porridge for breakfast. She makes it so well. A little milk, honey and lots of nuts and seeds and even dried berries:) Yummy!
ReplyDeleteHey Jayashree--I left a comment here but it's disappeared--thought I'd let you know. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteI have not been an oats person yet, more on the cereal with milk side, but I think I will gradually introduce it into my routine. O for Old Mac Donald had a farm is what came to mind when you started listing out everything O but food! Superstar Rajni rocks - enjoyed this song also!
ReplyDeleteHere's my post for O:
Oxford Dictionary
When I was a kid my mother made us oatmeal for breakfast every day and I was so tired of it! But recently I have begun to make it again for myself. I add lots of cinnamon and other spices, but asafoetida is not available around here, so I've never tried that.
ReplyDeleteO is for One-and-Only