Now that fall’s here, I’m settling into my new home on a small barrier island near Charleston, SC. And after a long summer hiatus, my cookbook writing and testing has begun in earnest — an exploration of the relationship between Southern (U.S.), and Southeast Asian food and cooking. More on that later.

Meanwhile, I started the workweek off today with a hearty breakfast combining good old oatmeal with ingredients prominent in Southeast Asian cooking — coconut (milk), bananas and cashews.

First, I combined a handful of steel cut oats, twice as much water, and a pinch of salt in a large microwave-safe glass bowl, covered the bowl in plastic wrap and cooked the oats at 80% power for six minutes. Then I moved the partially-cooked oats to a saucepan, barely covered them with coconut milk, and stirred in a tablespoon each of butter and brown sugar.

I simmered the oats, stirring often, until they were soft — another five minutes. Then I topped them with a sliced banana, a handful of cashews I had crushed in a mortar and pestle, and a drizzle of honey.

Things that grow together definitely did go together here: the coconut milk, bananas and cashews were a great match, especially anchored by the underlying warm nuttiness of the oats.

Posted by brys in personal, ingredients | | Subscribe to this feed