OATS HEARTS

OATS HEARTS

For the health conscious, oats is one of the more popular foods. The recipes are relatively light and easy to prepare. This article from the MNT Knowledge Centre lists the many health benefits we get from consuming oats. Nita Mehta the expert chef has many recipes made of oats, this one called "Oats Hearts" is adapted from hers.

Her recipe is given below. The changes I made are asterisked. I didn't use the grated paneer, instead I used a small onion, and added a green chilly to increase the spice level. I also increased the red chilly powder to 1/2 tsp.

Ingredients:

• Oats, 1 and 1/2 cups
• Potatoes, boiled and mashed, 2
• Grated Paneer, 1/4 cup * ( did not use)
• Salt, 3/4 tsp or as per taste
• Red Chilly Powder, 1/4 tsp ( or 1/2 tsp, which I prefer)
• Garam Masala, 1/4 tsp
• Aam Chur, (Dry Mango Powder), 1/2 tsp
• Chopped Coriander, 2 tbsp.
• Grated Carrot, 1/4 cup
• Lemon juice, 1/4 tsp
• Onion, small, finely chopped, 1 * (optional, added by me)
• Green Chilly, finely chopped, 1* (optional, added by me)
• Oil, as required.

Method:
Keep 1/2 cup oats aside for coating
Mix all the other ingredients ( except oil, of course) with 1 cup of oats
Make 8-10 balls of the above mixture
Flatten each ball and shape into hearts by hand or use a heart-shaped cookie cutter
Do not flatten too much
Spread the remaining 1/2 cup oats on a plate
Dip each heart in a bowl of water for a second and immediately press both sides of each heart in the oats
Press hearts with the palms to coat the oats properly
Shallow fry 3-4 cutlets at a time on a greased non-stick pan using the required amount of oil
When the underside of each cutlet turns golden, flip and fry the other side for a few minutes
Transfer the cutlets to a plate and serve hot with ketchup