Banana Dates Oats Porridge topped with Pumpkin Seeds.

“Banana Dates Oats Porridge topped with Pumpkin Seeds” … during winter a warm bowl of porridge is always a welcome sight at any time of the day … a very good way of consuming over ripe bananas or making children eat healthy food … this was our dinner which we relished along with a few slices of spicy tava fried sweet potatoes (kananga) … truly tummy filling for cold winter nights for a blissful sleep ... Yummilicious ….

** Porridge's or soups are something we love to have as our dinner and when its winter there are no two ways about the choice. After a age one always likes to keep dinner light and these days we are really spoiled for choices, there are plenty out there and I never seem to tire of trying out my own mix and matches after browsing through hundreds of them.

** My friends often complain about over ripe bananas and in Konkani homes the most sought after is sweet buns (Mangalore banana buns) as there are hardly more choices in ways of finishing them off soon, but trust me this is is so delicious and healthy that you will want to try it out after all there is nothing more pleasing than a bowl of warm porridge during winter.

** These porridge's are often relished as healthy way of starting breakfast with, however being a Konkani our breakfast is usually Idly, dosa, poha, appo, upma etc. which is almost a must and we do not try deviating from them, so all else are adjust accordingly and in my home they are always prepared as our dinner and we just love them, do try this one out.

** You will need ripe bananas and Oats for preparing this porridge while milk is something always available in our kitchen. For sweetness you can use sugar/ jaggery/ honey or skip it out adding a pinch of salt. However, I have used just a dash of dates syrup and flavored with cardamom, it tastes wonderful, again pumpkin seeds is a choice, but definitely healthy.

** The best part of this porridge is, other than the over ripe bananas being used fast, it is very tummy filling and a healthy porridge for people of all ages. It hardly takes time in preparation which definitely gives you more time to relax. A very good way to ensure that reluctant kids have bananas and oats which otherwise they brush aside stubbornly.

** Here is my simple method of preparing “Banana Dates Oats Porridge topped with Pumpkin Seeds” … try it out and enjoy with your family, if not for dinner, you can have it as a mid break meal too or any other time of the day….

** The quantity shared here is for 2 persons, so increase accordingly as per the required amount for the number of members you have to share it with …..

** Mash 2 large sized ripe bananas (kele) with a fork in a bowl. I have used Cavendish variety available in plenty in Mumbai and they were really large in size, if using smaller ones you can use more depending upon the size, you need to at least fill half of the cup with it for every serving, so prepare the same accordingly. 

** Bring 2 cups of milk (doodh) to boil, lower the heat and add in 2-3 tblsp of oats and bring it to a boil. Keep stirring regularly to avoid it getting burnt at the bottom. The oats gets thickened on cooking, so be careful and cook till done, say for about 5-7 minutes on low heat or till it coats thickly the back of a spoon.

** Remove from heat and add in the prepared and kept mashed bananas, 1 tsp of dates (Khajur) syrup (I used store bought), ½ tsp of cardamom (ellaichi/ yellu) powder and mix well till all ingredients are well mixed. If you find the porridge too thick you can add some more of hot milk to the same and mix well. 

** Note : You can use sugar, honey or jaggery as sweetener in place of dates syrup too, the choice is yours depending upon availability. Having said that you can skip it altogether too in case the bananas are very sweet or you do not want to do so for health reasons.

** Note : Dates syrup is healthier choice or you can even soak the dried dates in warm water and grind them to obtain syrup too, I love adding it to most of my drinks.

** “Banana Dates Oats Porridge topped with Pumpkin Seeds” is done and ready to be served. Serve it warm immediately in individual bowl topped with some roasted pumpkin seeds or any other nuts of your choice for that added crunch to munch on, tastes wonderful. I added on a few thinly sliced ripe bananas too, which again is a matter of choice.

** I also served along some slices of spicy tava fried sweet potatoes (kananga) which we get in plenty now and we love them very much. You may try them out, I have hardly added any oil to these while frying on a non stick pan, they taste awesome served hot with soups, porridges etc. You can even serve them as side dish during lunch/ meal times.

** For Tava frying of Sweet Potato (Kananga) : Peel off the skin with potato peeler and cut into desired sized pieces say about ¼ inch thickness. Apply a mixture of chilly powder, salt, hing powder, a dash of vinegar and mix well to evenly coat all the pieces. Keep this in a tight lid box in fridge for 30 minutes or till the time you need to tava fry them.

** Prepare a mixture of equal portion of rava and rice flour with a dash of salt and red chilly powder. Dust the slices in this mixture and place them on a non stick tava to which you have just brushed a thin layer of oil. Cover and cook on low heat, till done on the bottom side, then flip over and cook the top side without covering for a few minutes and its done, serve.

** Note : Coming to nuts, I always have pumpkin or melon seeds roasted and stored in my fridge as they come handy to be used as toppings for soups or salads or bhel puri/ chats too. Trust me they are a store house of healthy nutrients, so include them if you not doing so.

** Note : Always use ripe banana for this porridge, slightly over ripe ones will do too, do not discard them. Again you can honey as sweetener, I do not much like the taste so I avoid it.

** You can use any milk you regularly use. I prefer and use skimmed Cow’s milk, but you can use full fat milk too especially if its for children, it will be that much more healthier for them.

** I have used rolled oats easily available in stores and I have no knowledge of the others. Also I must mention these days many try making Vegan using plant based milk of which too I have absolutely no much knowledge off, you may try them if confident.