Oats Porridge with Meatballs

Say the word “Quaker Oats ” and chances are, images of recuperation after an illness during of your childhood come to mind – when Mom served steaming bowls of the oatmeal porridge at the bedside to whet up your appetite and coaching you to eat up the last spoonful of this nutritious porridge to bring back your health. But it has changed for me, since coming to live in a country where the night time temperature may drop to single digit during winter. Instead, images of cold winter mornings come to mind – steaming bowls of the breakfast cereal topped with cinnamon, honey and cream. The image is cozy, and the dish is, too, but it's so limiting for such a versatile and tasty grain. Not only are oats compatible with sweet flavors such as fruits, cinnamon, brown sugar and maple syrup or honey. They are also compatible with savory foods and flavors such as chicken, fish and prawns. You can add texture to your soups with a bit of oats, especially the heartier, steel-cut variety. Furthermore, when you're making bread or other fruited breads, pull out this sweet mixture of oats, cinnamon and brown sugar and sprinkle a bit on top for extra flavor and crunch. Or try cooking it in chicken porridge ( kai chok) or pork porridge (chi yoke chok) instead of using rice. Hey, come to think of it, why not try a bowl savoury minced pork oatmeal on a cold morning instead?

Pork Oatmeal Porridge Recipe: Serve 6

3 cups of rolled oats
6 cups of water
500g minced pork
I egg
2 tbsp. cornflour
2 spring onion finely chopped
2 tsp soya sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

Conbine in bowl minced pork, egg chopped spring onion. corn flour, soya sauce and sesame oil. Place one tablespoon of mixture onto centre of palm and roll to form meatball. Place meatball on a plate and put it aside. In a saucepan add 7 cups of water and 2 3 cups of rolled oats. Let stand for 10 minutes. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add meatballs into boiling porridge and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste. Enjoy.