ONE OF MY FAVORITE INDIAN FOOD MEMORIES IS OATMEAL. Not quick oats that simply mix with water and cook up in minutes, but the slow-cook kind that make you wait as they simmer and splatter on the stove and then force you to chew. We call it dhalia and it was always on the breakfast table visiting my nani's home in Chandigarh. We'd also have parantha or other Indian breakfast items, but the oatmeal was a simple staple and oddly addictive. Enter steel-cut oats. All forms of oatmeal come from oat groats, the whole oat grain, which when chopped with a steel blade into two or three pieces, make steel-cut oats (or Irish oats). The limited processing makes them healthier than other forms of oatmeal like rolled or instant. Though, let's be clear - eat your oatmeal any way you can - but, if you have time it's worth ramping up the taste and nutrition points with steel-cut. Making steel-cut oats on the stove is a simple process on paper of simmering with water and/or milk for about 20 - 30 minutes. But, it can be oddly painful. I've waited for my oats and water to come to a boil, looked away for one minute, and come back to an overflowed messy, sticky and starchy pool on my stove. Or, if my family is really hungry, we just don't have the patience to wait for the slow oats to simmer to perfection. Why making steel-cut oats in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot is worth it - it's hands off cooking and if you prepare in advance you'll always have a batch. Store them in the fridge once made, and warm them up with milk as needed. Take some to work, leave it for the family to pull out and warm up for themselves, or do as I do and cook and freeze in one-cup batches. Keep your toppers organized and ready to go - in our house we add brown sugar, dried cranberries or cherries, chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts), seeds (chia, hemp, flax), berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), sliced banana, and Chai Masala.
Below, you'll find my most basic recipe for cooked steel-cut oats. Enjoy this recipe as is, or use it as a template to build hundreds of other flavor combinations. I will keep adding recipes as I create them. Just keep a few things in mind when navigating oats in the Instant Pot: Only use steel-cut oats - don't use rolled or quick-cooking oats in the IP - they will dissolve into a mushy mess. I prefer cooking with either just water or a combination of water and almond milk rather than using dairy milk to cook. Don't use dairy milk to pressure cook. You can always add the milk (dairy or otherwise) later when warming up a batch. But, because dairy is high in protein, it can thicken and scorch easily on the bottom of the pot and trigger the dreaded 'burn' warning. Just water and/or water mixed with almond milk (which has a high water content) works perfectly. I am still experimenting with cook times. The recipes I've researched vary from 4 to 12 minutes on high pressure, which is quite a spread. If I can get this cooked successfully with a lower cook time, I'll update my recipe. Some call to sauté the oats in butter for a nuttier taste ahead of pressure cooking - I don't think that makes too much of a difference, but you can add a touch at the start or end of cooking. How much oatmeal to cook? I like to max out the amount cooked in my 3-quart, so I used 2 cups of product. Remember, this will work in the larger Instant Pots as well. One cup of steel-cut oats makes about 3 cups cooked and 2 cups makes about 7 cups cooked. Believe it or not, you can successfully cook 2 cups of oatmeal in a 3-quart Instant Pot! The oats to water ratio varied in the recipes I researched from 1 cup of oats to 2.5/3/3.5/4 cups of water - I settled on 3.5 cups of liquid (either just water or water + almond milk) per cup of oats. When the oats are done cooking, it's important to let them sit at least 10 minutes to release pressure naturally because they release starch, and this starchy water bubbles up and splashes out when releasing steam. If you let your pot sit for at least 10 minutes (some recipes call for 20), the water will settle down a bit and you'll get less splashing. It also helps to finish cooking the oats. When releasing pressure do it slowly and carefully. It helps to have a dish towel handy for splashes. In the past I recommended spraying the inner pot with oil to prevent the water from bubbling up - I've since realized it's not necessary - it is going to bubble up anyway. Feel free to do so if you would like. I hope you'll make this recipe and enjoy the process of making steel-cut oats again. If you don't have an Instant Pot, no worries. Simply use the measurements below, add to a pot, and follow the steps on the stovetop, simmering for about 20-30 minutes. But, keep your eye on that that pot!
Instant Pot: Perfectly Simple Steel-Cut Oats
Pressure Cooker Size: 3 quart or larger
Warm Up: 23 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Cool Down: 10 minutes natural release + manual release time
Total: 45 minutes + manual release time
Makes: 7 cups
2 cups steel-cut oats
7 cups water (or water + almond milk) *
1. Place the inner cooking pot in your Instant Pot. Add the oatmeal and liquid. Stir.
2. Lock the lid into place and make sure the pressure release valve is set to the sealing position (upwards). Press the PRESSURE COOK button and then press the PRESSURE LEVEL button until the panel reads HIGH. Adjust the cook time to 12 minutes.
3. Once the cooking is complete, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes and then manually release the remaining pressure. Remove the lid. Add milk at this point or enjoy as is with your favorite toppings. I like loosening up the cooked oatmeal with a little milk right away while it's warm and turning on the saute setting if you need to heat it up a bit. Transfer and store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.
* I use a combination of 3 cups water and 1/2 cup almond milk.
MORE UPDATES COMING SOON!
CHAI SPICED STEEL CUT OATS ---
Nonstick cooking spray
4 1/2 cups water
2 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk (any milk or dairy alternative works)
2 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed *
2 whole cloves, slightly crushed
2 black peppercorn, slightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup green raisins (substitute any dried fruit)
3 dates, seeds pitted and finely chopped
2 cups steel-cut oats
Spray the inner pot of the Instant Pot lightly to prevent foaming. Add the water and milk to the pot.
Add cardamom, cloves, peppercorn, cinnamon stick, raisins, and dates. Stir.
Add the oats. Don't Stir. Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve.
Select MANUAL and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes.
When cooking is complete, use a natural-release to depressurize and carefully remove the lid. When mixing, the oats will look brown underneath, but not a worry. Just mix them through. Remove the cinnamon stick.
Eat drizzled with honey or maple syrup and top with fresh fruit including sliced banana or blueberries.
* Crush the cardamom, cloves, and peppercorn together in a mortar and pestle. Use the outer husk of the cardamom. After cooking I just leave it in as it softens, but if you don't prefer it, just remove it. If you have a good Chai Masala on hand, substitute the spices with two teaspoons. If you want deeper Chai flavor, just double the cardamom & cloves used.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Anupy
January 09, 2024
Hi Annie, Yes! I would suggest a 1/4 spoon of each.