Oats Bhel (bachelors' cooking)

Those of you who are following me would notice that besides scribbling down quick and easy recipes for young men and women who are starting off on their own as far as cooking is concerned, I've been doing some healthy eating as well. So nice to have the husband as the perfect guinea pig to gulp down whatever I put together.

I know I could do better with the seasoning at times, but am consciously reducing the salt from time to time. Please do adjust according to the health and taste of your family.

 All the ingredients for this recipe would be with you at home except for perhaps the Chaat Masala. Try to source that from your Indian stores if you live abroad as it is vital for any bhel or Indian chaats (street food/quick bites)

I have lightly sautéed two cups of oats in a tbsp. of oil (any preferred oil) in a sauce pan. Once it has toasted a bit I added in all the other ingredients that you see starting with peanuts. That nutty flavour is so yummilicious! If you are allergic to peanuts you can skip it or add walnuts or chopped almonds.

 I have finely chopped/diced a large onion, a tomato, half a cucumber, green chillies (as per your preference) and put them all together along with the sautéed oats. Salt is added to taste, half a tsp. of red chilly powder and half a tbsp. of chaat masala as well.

You can grate in a carrot for additional colour and richness, a bell pepper and finely chopped cilantro as well. I did not garnish with cilantro as I didn't  want the oats to lose its taste as cilantro can be overpowering.

Those of you who like corn flakes can garnish the dish with a tbsp. of plain corn flakes as well to dd to that crunch. Do not add flavoured ones!

 Once the dish is put together, squeeze in half a lemon/lime. The juice takes this quick snack to another level. You may add jalapenos instead of the green chillies if you prefer.

 Do mix and match with the veggies that you have at hand. Do not over cook the veggies, they should remain crunchy. So do switch off the flame within five minutes of adding in all the veggies.

After reading through, You can see how healthy this dish is with loads of fibre in them and so easy to put together in less than ten minutes.