First few months of the year is all about healthy eating and less sweets. So this time around I am sharing my first savory oatmeal in my blog today, Mushroom Porridge Oatmeal. A thick porridge style oatmeal with tons of sliced mushroom. It is savory variation, with so much flavor from mushroom and spices, plus a slick kick of heat to wake you up in the morning. Who’s in?

We’ve had a good run of sweet oatmeal, right? So far, I gave you 12 sweet oatmeal variations that are all delicious and worthy for breakfast. I thought since it’s getting colder now and rain starts falling again and gloomy days and snowy days are coming soon, a savory warm breakfast would be a good idea. So, this time I am sharing a savory oatmeal, I call this Mushroom Porridge Oatmeal. Savory oatmeal, flavorful and filling. Perfect for breakfast or even as a soup style before the main meal.

Types of Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats (Irish Oats) – This type of oats has a finer texture but is chewier than traditional oats, they are digested more slowly and it makes you feel full easily. This type is perfect for breakfast cereals as they make you feel full longer.

Rolled Oats (Old Fashioned) – This type of oats are flat, thin and have bigger pieces than Steel Cut Oats. It cooks faster, about 10 minutes for 1/3 cup (depending on how chewy you like it). Although filling, it is not as filling as using Steel Cut Oats, but if your recipe requires minimal cooking time or you do not have much time on hand, this is the perfect type of oats to use. I find that this type is also the one perfect for baking cookies, bars, bread or pancakes.

Quick Oats – This type of oats have flat, light and even thinner pieces as compared to Rolled Oats. This cooks in about 1-2 minutes and are perfect for recipes that calls for a very minimal cooking time. Although it is also a good option for breakfast, it is not as filling as using Steel Cut Oats and Rolled Oats.

Instant Oats – This type of oatmeal has been pre-cooked and dried, because of this, it require no cooking time at all. You just need to add boiling water and let sit for few minutes to soften. This type of oatmeal doesn’t have chewiness and texture and can get mushy at times. This if perfect option when you are traveling and you need something on the go. Simply add hot water and you have an instant breakfast with you.

How Does Savory Oatmeal Taste?

I don’t blame you if you think that savory oatmeal is weird, because I was in the same as you before I tried one. The thing with savory oatmeal is that you have to find the one that works for you, and the ingredients that work with savory oatmeal. Think of it as polenta or grits which are basically boiled cornmeal and served like a porridge, although savory oatmeal have is not as smooth and it have more texture. If want to try savory oatmeal, start with something that have the ingredients that you like, and ingredients that works well together according to your taste buds. Savory oatmeal taste like porridge when served slightly loose, but it can also be served as thick when you cook it longer. At first you might find it weird especially if you are used to sweet oatmeal. You will look for that sweet taste, but once you set your mind in the idea that you are eating a savory oatmeal you will probably like it. I say probably because this could be case to case basis depending on personal taste and preference. The important thing to remember in making savory oatmeal is to season it well. The worst thing is to eat a bland oatmeal, that is a guaranteed way for you to hate savory oatmeal.

Flavor of the Month: Mushroom Porridge Oatmeal

Our oatmeal flavor of the month is Mushroom Porridge Oatmeal. A thick porridge style oatmeal with tons of sliced mushroom. It is savory, with so much flavor from mushroom and the spices, plus a slick kick of heat to wake you up in the morning. Does it sound weird to you? Savory, oatmeal, mushroom, porridge? I know it may sound off imagining all this ingredients together, but they worked well together. I was pretty hesitant to make a savory oatmeal but now I am glad I did. At first the thought of a savory oatmeal just doesn’t seem right to me. I even have to close my eyes to imagine how it would be and how it would taste, and still I cannot imagine it working. So as usual, I did my research, watch some videos to get an idea of a savory oatmeal variation that looks appealing to me. This came to me first, a porridge style oatmeal. I love porridge and I thought all I have to do is to replace the rice with oatmeal and it should work, and it did. This mushroom porridge oatmeal taste like a real rice porridge. It was creamy and it was so flavorful. I intentionally added more liquid that usual because I want the consistency to be creamy but not too thick. I like the oatmeal to be really cook and mushy just like a porridge. You can definitely reduce the broth to 1 1/2 cup if you want it thicker. This oatmeal is so filling and so comforting specially on a cold weather. This reminded me of “Arozcaldo”, a rice and chicken porridge that we have in the Philippines. Once when I made this, I added some sliced steamed chicken breast along with the mushroom and egg. It was so hearty and delicious, it kept me full until noon. I totally understand I you are hesitant to try this, but I still encourage you to think about it. Savory oatmeal is such a great option to add to your breakfast, you just have to find the variation that works for you, and I hope this could be the one. If not, I’ll try again next time as I will be sharing more savory oatmeal in next months to come. Let’s get started!

Tips in Making Savory Oatmeal

• Season it Well: As I said, the worst thing is a bland oatmeal, and this is a common issue of people hating savory oatmeal. Be generous with spices, play with what works for you. Salt and pepper are the basic but do not be afraid to try other spices, the likes of turmeric, cumin, garlic, chili flakes, dried herbs.
• Choose the Ingredients that Works Together: Unlike sweet oatmeal where you can just sprinkle any toppings without much thinking, making savory oatmeal is different. You have to use ingredients that work well together with a savory oatmeal. For me, mushroom, onion, garlic, are the basic one that work, plus egg for some reason always makes it better. You can also add meat, ground meat, shredded chicken, cold cuts especially sausage work well with savory oatmeal. It all depend to your preference, choose what works for you.
• Use Broth (Homemade or Store-Bought) NOT Water: To avoid oatmeal being bland, use broth instead of plain water. This adds taste in the oatmeal on top of the herbs and spices.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup White or Yellow Onion – chopped 
• 10 pieces Brown Mushroom – thinly slice
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dried Thyme 
• 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce 
• 1/4 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes 

Instructions:

1. Add oil on a heated pan. Sauté garlic, onion for 1 minute. Add sliced mushroom, salt, black pepper, thyme and soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside about half for toppings later. 
2. In the same pan, add broth and rolled oats. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes in medium heat. Feel free to reduce the cooking time if you prefer a slightly whole rolled oats. Stir in red chili flakes.
   Transfer in a serving bowl. Garnish with green onion, serve with soft or hard boiled egg. 

Re-heating

One tip when reheating it, add few spoonful of water to thin out the consistency. The oatmeal will thicken as it cools, even more when refrigerated. So to bring it back to nice consistency, you need to add a little bit of liquid. For single serving, add 1-2 tbsp of liquid and stir then simply pop it in the microwave for 1 minute. Take it out and stir again, adding more liquid as  necessary to achieve the consistency that you like. Easy breezy! Enjoy

Recipe Note

I am using quite a lot of liquid here because I like my Oatmeal consistency to be not too thick and also because I like to cook it longer for a smoother creamier texture. You can easily adjust the cooking time to achieve your preferred texture.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional Information was calculated using Veryfitwell Recipe Calorie and Nutrition Calculator. For details about Nutritional Information in this website, please read the Disclaimer page.

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