'Rajasthan' Oatmeal

The Ultimate Beta asked me what I wanted to name my oatmeal I made this morning. I said, "'Rajasthan' Oatmeal."  She wrinkled her nose. Her mouth pulled back into a slight grimace. I was pretty sure I was about to be the recipient of her dreaded German 'psttch' of disdain. Instead, she simply shook her head with disappointment and said, "No.  I don't think so."  I pleaded. "How's that any worse than Peking Duck?"

And now its 'Rajasthan Oatmeal'. For better or for worse.

Let me explain my logic. Across the Middle East and all the way to western India, rosewater is used in cooking.  As is cardamom. It's present in this oatmeal too.  When I was living in India and visiting the ancient city of Jaipur, there was a lassi shop near the famed Hawa Mahal. This shop made a really thick version of lassi with cardamom and rosewater. I was smitten by the combination ever since.  For those who don't know what lassi is, here's a brief description.

Is my version of oatmeal Rajasthani? No. Is it Indian? No. But my memories are.

The recipe is really easy. The measurements are for two servings.  Since if we add Ultimate Beta and AlphaChef together we equal two. Or one meal. Or one damn good couple. And then the Ultimate Beta who was reading over my shoulder went, "Ohhhhhh! Ooh. That's so sweet." Score one for the AlphaChef. Won't need to buy flowers this week.

In a pot with 2 cups of water add: 1 green cardamom seed (not the shell) crushed and ground. Use 1/2 or more of what was finely ground - your call. If it was up only to my taste buds I might use 1 1/2 seeds but the Ultimate Beta is a bit sensitive to cardamom.  [I don't use pre-ground cardamom but I suspect 1/8 of a teaspoon will do it. But don't blame me if its missing or overpowering if that measurement is wrong.] 1/2 teaspoon of dried orange zest. [I think it would be about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon if you use fresh orange zest. If you do use fresh then add it when you add the cinnamon.] 1 pinch of salt. 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Bring to a boil. Add 1 heaping cup of oatmeal. Turn the heat down so the oatmeal is at a very light boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Occasionally stir.

At about the four minute mark add 2 tsp of ground cinnamon and stir it in. I add the cinnamon late because otherwise a lot of it sticks to the side of the pot. Now a total of five minutes of boil time has occurred. Turn the flame off. Kill the heat. Remove from the electric heating coils.  The point is: STOP COOKING IT. Stir in 1 1/2 - 2 tsp of rosewater and 1 heaping tablespoon of ginger pear jelly. [If you don't got that, add 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger when you added the cinnamon, and stir in the pear jelly or apple jelly, or 1 tsp of honey. You get my drift.] Put the cover on the pot and let sit for 3 minutes. Now while the oatmeal is thickening, slice up a couple of medjool dates. After the 3 minutes is up, stir the oatmeal and place into two bowls. Garnish with the sliced dates, brown sugar and a few leaves of mint if you have them left over from another meal. I usually add a splash of milk too.

I served the meal along with Niman Ranch applewood smoked bacon. Oatmeal and bacon. Its one of our favorite combos.  Not as good as a beer with something or other.  But really close.