Pongal Oats with Lentils and Sesame Seeds

Cook time:10 min

Description
This recipe is a of "Oats a la Pongal" from the blog Evolving Tastes, a "fusion" dish which was inspired by Tamil cuisine. On the day this author went to prepare the original Pongal Oats recipe I was short several ingredients and so made several substitutions and threw in a few other things I had handy.

For those unfamiliar with Tamil and other Indian cuisine this is best thought of as something like a hearty vegetarian stew. This recipe makes two to three servings.

Ingredients

 * one third (⅓) cup rolled oats (regular rolled oats, NOT quick oats or instant oats)
 * one third (⅓) cup green lentils
 * one quarter (¼) cup sesame seeds
 * one quarter (¼) cup wheat bran
 * one and one half (1 ½) cups water
 * ground cumin
 * ground black pepper
 * ground fenugreek
 * ground turmeric
 * two (2) teaspoons ginger paste
 * two (2) teaspoons unsalted butter or vegan substitute
 * one (1) tablespoon minced onion or onion flakes
 * salt to taste

Optional ingredients

 * flavored canned diced tomatoes (see Notes)

Directions

 * 1) Mix the spices in a small mixing bowl
 * 2) In a saucepan bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer
 * 3) Add lentils and butter and cook for five minutes
 * 4) Add the oats, sesame seed, wheat bran, spices, and all remaining ingredients and cook for five more minutes
 * 5) Remove from heat, stir, and allow to stand for two or three minutes
 * 6) Serve and top with diced tomatoes as desired