Namkeen Overnight Oats (Savory Indian Style)

🥣 Ingredients (1 serving)

• Rolled oats – ½ cup
• Water or buttermilk (chaas) – ¾ cup (adjust for texture)
• Curd (yogurt) – 2 tbsp (optional, for tang)
• Onion (pyaaz) – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Cucumber – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Green chilli – ½ tsp, finely chopped (optional)
• Salt – to taste
• Lemon juice – ½ tsp
• Fresh coriander – 1 tbsp, chopped

Tempering (Tadka):

• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds (rai) – ½ tsp
• Curry leaves (kadi patta) – 5–6 leaves
• Optional: a pinch of hing (asafoetida)

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👩‍🍳 Method

1. Soak the oats:

• In a bowl, mix rolled oats with water (or chaas) and a little salt.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4–6 hours).

1. Prepare tempering:

• In a small pan, heat ghee.
• Add mustard seeds; let them crackle.
• Add curry leaves (and hing, if using). Turn off heat.

1. Combine:

• Take the soaked oats from the fridge.
• Add chopped onion, cucumber, green chilli, and coriander.
• Mix in the tadka (tempering).
• Add lemon juice and adjust salt.

1. Serve:

• Eat cold (like a refreshing chaas-oats salad) or slightly warm it if you prefer.

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💡 Tips & Variations

• Add grated carrot, tomato, or boiled corn for more texture.
• For protein, mix in a spoon of roasted chana powder or curd.
• You can replace ghee with sesame oil for a South Indian twist.
• Top with roasted peanuts or seeds if you want crunch (even though you’re skipping nuts).