Saturday 1 November 2014

Low GI - Oats Soya porridge

Sorry about the long absence. I'm back with a recipe that is true to the principles of this blog. It's quick and easy, nutritious, vegetarian, and low-glycemic index.

By now all of us have heard about oats and have been swamped by the marketing campaigns that tell us it will solve everything from heart disease to falling hair. Now, here's a cautionary note. The instant oats that come in the little packages are not really good for you. Sure, they give you some good beta-glucan fiber, but that's going to work for you more in the long term. In the short term, the GI of instant oats is very high, so it'll push your blood sugar up very quickly. 

I'm not saying you should not eat them, but you could find ways to bring down the GI, so you can get the advantages of the good fiber without the blood sugar hit.

Let's look at the numbers (as always with the caveat that these are approximations.). Instant oats have a GI of 66 and a glycemic load of 18 for a 250 gm serving. We want to lower the GI to below 50 and the GL to about 10. 

So here's what I did. I took half the quantity of Instant Masala oats you would typically need for two people and I substituted the other half with peanuts, soya granules, and onions. Peanuts, soya granules, and onions are all low on GI and GL, so I anticipate that we can achieve the effect we want with this substitution. Fortunately, the end result is still filling and tasty.


Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 packet masala oats (any flavor). Plain is fine too. Just add whatever seasoning you want.
1 medium onion chopped (you can add other vegetables like carrots, beans, and peas for more nutrition)
A handful of peanuts
A handful of soya granules (the ones that look like keema)
A teaspoon of zeera
A teaspoon of oil
2 chopped green chilis (optional)
A pinch of chili powder (optional)
1/2 a teaspoon dhaniya powder (optional)
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a small kadai. Throw in the zeera. When the seeds start to splutter, add the peanuts and roast them. Once they're roasted, add the onions and green chilis and saute them for 2 minutes. Add all seasoning like dhania and chili powder and saute for another couple of minutes. Throw in the soya granules and saute for another two minutes. Finally add the oats and water and let the mixture boil until it is cooked. Add as much salt as you need. Garnish with coriander, if you like.

If you're starting with plain oats-which btw really makes much more sense because the masala oats cost so much more and probably have unhealthy fats - add in any seasoning you like to get the taste you want.

That's it :)