Brown Butter-Soy Oatmeal
When I was a kid my dad developed high cholesterol so we started to eat a lot of oatmeal in place of rice and congee. It took me a long time to learn to love it but now I find myself craving it every now and then, always savory.
I recently learned that toasting the oats over dry heat, or even better, in some brown butter, helps to release its nutty, warm undertones. Adding a few splashes of soy sauce transforms it with additional layers of umami and a gentle sweetness. It’s delightful on its own or with whatever toppings your heart desires!
Brown butter is when butter has been cooked past its melting point, resulting in the milk solids turning brown. At this point the butter will have a warm, nutty fragrance that I think goes really well with the warmth of the toasted oats.
I used:
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill organic old-fashioned oats
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- salt
- toppings: soft-boiled egg, spinach, roasted sesame seeds, togarashi
To make:
- Melt butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Swirl it around the pan until it turns a light brown color and smells nutty, ~3 minutes
- Add in oats along with a pinch of salt and sauté and toast until you smell a warm around ~5-7 minutes. It’ll smell almost sweet!
- Add in 2 cups of water and turn up the heat to bring it to a boil. Then turn it back down to medium-low and allow it to simmer and cook for ~10 minutes until thickened to desired consistency
- Mix in soy sauce (use more/less based on preference), and adjust salt to taste
- Top with whatever you like
Thank you Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this!
