Irish Oatmeal Pilaf

Steel-Cut Irish Oatmeal Pilaf

During a phone call to my sister-in-law about a month ago, she suggested I try this pilaf for lunch. Admittedly, it didn't sound very appealing because porridge is porridge and nothing like pilaf. It was a good thing I decided to try it anyway.

McCann's Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Steel-cut oatmeal is available in the British/UK section of the international aisle of the grocery store. Because of how long it takes to cook, this type of oats is given a wide berth, but after wrapping my mind around pilaf, I decided to treat it just like rice. This tactic worked well and the pilaf tasted amazingly good!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup/4 oz. steel-cut oats, dry toasted to a golden brown

1 onion, minced

1 green chili, minced

1 stalk curry leaves, chiffonaded

1 tomato, minced

1 russet/baking potato, diced

3 carrots, grated

1/2 cup frozen peas

2 Tbsp. olive oil + 2 Tbsp. butter

1/4 tsp. black mustard seeds

3/4 cup boiling water, vegetable or chicken broth

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil and butter and sputter mustard seeds, chilies & onions.
2. Add curry leaves, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and peas.
3. Season with salt to taste and stir well.
4. Add toasted oats and stir until coated with fried ingredients.
5. Add water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer over lowest heat setting for 10-15 minutes or until all liquids evaporate.
6. Garnish with cilantro and more minced green chilies.