The Art of Oatmeal | Hacker News Reader

The Art of Oatmeal

vasilishynkarenka.com

17 pointshugodutka15 comments

A great oatmeal breakfast (or lunch or dinner) inspired by the Persian dish haleem (which is usually made with wheat instead of oats and is simmered for hours):

Put a pound or so of boneless skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker on low for a few hours, until they're ready to fall apart (the nice thing is that this needs little attention).

Sweat a diced onion in about a tbsp of butter in about in a biggish pot on low heat, with a pinch of salt, until translucent. Move the onions to the side, add another tbsp of butter, and toast a cup of steel-cut oats in it until it smells toasty/nutty. Pour the liquid that came out of the chicken into the pot (saving the meat for later) and then add a carton (32 fl. oz.) of good chicken stock (which they're calling bone broth these days at the supermarket).

Cook this for a while on medium heat (uncovered) until the oats are done (roughly 45 mins). Meanwhile, shred up the chicken really well with a pair of forks. When the oatmeal is done, stir in the shredded chicken. Season to taste.

Makes about four big servings, keeps great in the fridge for several days and reheats well. Makes a nutritious hot breakfast, especially with a sunny-side up egg on top. A traditional condiment for haleem is diced confit onions, which is also great. (I also like to add a bag of sauteed "power greens")

My typical American diet induced whiplash when the first ingredient in your “oatmeal breakfast” was a pound of chicken thighs.

This isn’t a complaint at all - it just made me very aware of my own dietary assumptions.

It sounds very good.

FWIW, I don't think it's typical to have haleem for breakfast. My wife's family is from Iran, and when I mentioned how much I enjoyed the haleem (that my mother-in-law had sent us home with) for breakfast, they thought I was crazy! (They warmed to the idea - we've learned much from one another heh)

Breakfast has a surprisingly big variance across the world, with mostly Europe and North America eating sweets for breakfast. In many other places in the world, it tends to be savory. This article [0] has pictures of breakfasts from around the world.

With regards to oatmeal, my preference is to eat it as part of muesli [1], mixed with plain yogurt, filmjölk, or skyr.

[0] https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/what-people-eat-breakfas...

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muesli

During covid I've gotten quite bored with my chef (me) and experimented. I thought I was thinking out-of-the-box adding cashews and bananas to things like chili.

But oatmeal and chicken is broadening my mind.

I actually think it makes sense, I've always thought all-carbs-for-breakfast was invented by cereal companies. I've been way better off with something more along the lines of huevos rancheros with refriend beans.

Well then, you should try this Iranian dessert made with... Lamb neck meat: https://www.tasteatlas.com/khoresht-mast :)

From what I've heard the meat just blends into the dish and gives it richness without really giving it a 'meaty' flavor. I'm just trying to find some restaurant near me that serves it.

This sounds really good. I kind of want to try it but maybe a vegetarian/vegan style instead. Thanks for sharing!

Missing the forest for the trees perhaps here. Oh well!

I too am a big fan of oatmeal. Funny enough, I like it a bit different than the author does. Particularly, I enjoy it with a less runny/liquid texture, and I don't submerge it like the author does afterward either. My setup I've eaten year round for 5 years now is:

* 1 cup dried old-fashioned oats

* Water plus a dash of creamer (oat milk recently) to submerge the oats

* 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter

* Cinnamon to taste

* Sometimes flax seed to taste

The biggest thing is the cooking. On the stove top, bring the liquid boiling _and then_ add the oats. Don't add the oats before hand, as that changes their texture a bit too. Then I'll turn it down to maybe medium-low temp and cook most of the liquid off. It's usually 5-10 minutes. In the microwave, I mix the liquids and oats together because what other choice do you have? Then it runs for 3 minutes on high.

You'll end up with a bit of a softer texture, but the peanut butter thickens it up to be much more hearty. It's hard for me to enjoy other oatmeal that's runny.

Do you add the peanut butter to the pot while cooking the oats, or when they're done?

I am not the parent, but I have found that adding it while it is boiling reduces the risk of lumps being left behind once I start reaching into the very bottom of the peanut butter jar (I buy PB in 1kg jars and if I'm not diligent about stirring it now and then it becomes hard in the bottom).

I add it in after they're cooked, along with cinnamon and flaxseed. It would be interesting to see what boiling the peanut butter would do though. Never thought of trying it.

I have started quickly stirring through my oats (of the precooked flat variety) with a beater once they have been in the water for a minute or two. That makes it thicker and with an, IMO, nicer texture. If I boil it too hot, it doesn't really settle, and if that happens I just add a bit more water and boil it off.

I add peanut butter as well and eat it with grated apple on top.

Another option that my kids have always liked is “Apple Pie Oatmeal”. Just normal old fashioned oats (not quick) cooked with a skinned and cut up apple and a dash of cinnamon. Make sure to use a good baking apple like a Granny Smith so the chunks don’t dissolve to mush. Serve with milk and brown sugar - it tastes just like apple pie.

Coconut milk + oatmeal is indeed a winning combination. Coconut milk is the only plant-like milk that comes close to dairy in function/flavor/nutrition.

I like rolled oats with yogurt and spices (pepper, chilli and thyme mostly). Not sweet, not slimy..

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