Savory Oatmeal with a Fried Egg and Chili Oil

Hooray! It’s officially fall! If I lived anywhere else other than San Francisco, this would be my favorite season of them all! It’s a very confusing time over here. Everyone else is basking in the brisk air and cozy sweater vibes, while us San Franciscans are sweating our bums off and trying to force down noodle soups and stews with temperatures above 75 degrees. Maybe that’s why Starbucks invented the Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew! For the seasonal interlopers amongst us. That drink is so good by the way… it helped me survive my travels to and from Arkansas last month.

I will push through this heat and continue on with the holiday and cozy recipes though! Because that’s how much I care about y’all! I made some Christmas donuts the other day and I haven’t even worked on my Halloween dumplings yet! What is time though, really? I have an idea to make a Halloween dumpling that looks like an eye ball lololol, tell me if that’s a bad idea…

In other non-gross looking food news, I’m finally sharing the recipe for my favorite breakfast ever! Well, my favorite breakfast behind dim sum and jook. This savory oatmeal is an adaption of jook really. Jook is a classic Chinese dish of slow cooking rice in a lot of broth until you have a thick and creamy porridge. You can flavor it with chicken stock, pork bones, or leftover Thanksgiving turkey, which I like to refer to as the Holiday Special Jook. (I’ve only ever said that once…) You typically top it with crispy onions and scallions, but the options are totally endless.

I didn’t grow up an oatmeal lover. Every few years I bought those instant oatmeal packets in an attempt to simplify breakfast during busy weeks, but I was always so turned off by how sweet they were. Why do all the sweet flavors somehow taste the same in a variety pack??? I thought back to when I was younger and remembered my dad saying he preferred to put salt in his oatmeal. It was such a small and quick memory that I doubt he even remembers telling me that. It makes complete sense though. Slowly cooking oats in broth and some salty things is the exact same process as making jook! Oats breakdown a lot fast that jasmine rice, so you don’t need to stand over a hot steamy pot for an hour to have your breakfast.

Build Your Own Savory Oatmeal

I partnered with my friends at BOU to bring you this simple but cozy Savory Oatmeal with a Fried Egg and Chili Oil. Their bouillon cubes are so flavorful and come in super handy when you forget to pick up some chicken stock from the store or freeze a homemade version. This recipe is so simple and very adaptable to whatever your personal tastebuds are. If you’re vegetarian you can totally use their vegetarian bouillon cube or their amazing miso broth cubes! Chicken bouillon is my go to secret ingredient when a dish needs a little extra flavor kick.

To cook the oatmeal, you add the bouillon cube of your choice to the water, bring it a boil, and add the oatmeal. Reduce the heat to a simmer, season with s+p and a bit of soy sauce, and gently cook the oatmeal for 15 minutes or so until it’s nice and creamy. During that time, the oats are going to infuse with all the nice savory flavors. Once the oats are cooked, let them cool for a few minutes so that it thicken and set up just a little bit more. Portion out the oatmeal into bowls and topped with a fried egg and a drizzle of chili oil. you can add a small bunch of watercress or tender leafy greens to start your day with something green. Scallions are green though, so that counts!

Some other awesome toppings are:

crispy fried onions
fried garlic
furikake
CHEESE
bacon
crumbled breakfast sausage!

Alright, now I’m craving a bowl myself!

Savory Oatmeal with a Fried Egg and Chili Oil

serves 2

Materials:

1 BOU Chicken Bouillon Cube
3 1/2 cups of water
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp soy sauce
½  tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
2 eggs
Olive oil for cooking
Chili oil - for topping
Sesame Seeds - for topping
Scallions - for topping
Watercress or other leafy green - for topping

Steps:

1. Add bouillon cube and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the cube. Once the water is boiling add oats and lower heat to a simmer.

2. Stir the oats frequently so they don’t burn to the bottom. Season with soy sauce, salt, and white pepper. Simmer and stir for 10-15 minutes until the oats are creamy. Turn off the heat and allow the oats to cool for a few minutes

3. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Swirl the pan so that it is evenly coated in oil. Once hot, crack in the eggs and cook until the whites are firm.

4. Place oatmeal in bowls and top with a fried egg. Drizzle some chili oil, toasted sesame seeds, and scallions on top. Serve with a side of watercress, spinach, or other leafy green.

Thanks, BOU, for sponsoring this post!