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Change up your overnight oats game with these Spiced chili Oil Overnight Oats inspired by South Indian Curd rice!! This raita dip oats with shredded veggies finished with curry leaf spiced oil!
Table of Contents
This is an overnight oats version of curd rice or yogurt rice, which is a popular South Indian rice dish where cooked rice is mixed with yogurt and finished with spiced chili oil that is tempered with whole spices, like mustard seeds, curry leaves, and chilies.
Curd rice is a popular dish served as is with some chutneys or pickles or as a side with South Indian dishes. It is a simple but super flavorful side dish that is perfect for hot days. I took that concept to make this veggie-full creamy savory spicy overnight oats version.
These Indian spiced overnight oats are a great for a change in breakfast or snack if you want some savory oats instead of sweet.
I know it’s kind of out there for a lot of you to make savory oats, and especially savory overnight oats. But, believe me, these are so refreshing and amazing. Think Indian raita dip with oats!
I have lots of baked oats which are sweet (banana bread oats, apple pie baked oats, snickers oatmeal, PB&J oats!), and then there are the savory versions, like my pizza baked oats and veggie baked oats (which are kind of a veggie fritters).
For these savory oats, we use plenty of crunchy veggies, some non-dairy yogurt as the base and level it up with indian spiced oil spiced with mustard seeds, green chili and curry leaves! Look at that gorgeousness!
Why You’ll Love Indian Spiced Savory Oats
- creamy oats with crunchy veggies
- Indian-spiced chili oil brings tons of flavor!
- easy to make in 25 minutes
- gluten-free, options for nut-free, and soy-free
More Savory Oats Recipes
Indian Spiced Yogurt Overnight Oats
Ingredients
For the oats:
- 1 cup old fashioned oats, or quick cooking oats
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- 1/2 cup hot non-dairy milk
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup nondairy yogurt
- 2 tablespoons chopped cucumber
- 2 tablespoons shredded carrots
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar, or maple syrup
For the Spiced oil( Tempering Tadka)
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 6 curry leaves, fresh, frozen or dried
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/2 green chili, chopped, such as Serrano or jalapeño
For topping:
- crushed roasted peanuts, or seeds of choice, like sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the oats:
- In a bowl, add the oats, chia seeds, and the hot non-dairy milk and mix. Let it sit for the oats to rehydrate, at least 10 minutes, then fold in the rest of the ingredients under oats. Set this aside while you make your tempering.
Make the tempering/ spiced oil
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Test that the oil is hot with a few mustard seeds. When the seeds rapidly move and then pop, then the oil is ready. If they pop immediately, then the oil is a bit too hot, so reduce the heat a bit.
- When the oil is hot, mix in the rest of the mustard seeds and let them sizzle rapidly for a few seconds. If they're not sizzling rapidly, continue to cook them until they do start sizzling rapidly.
- Switch off the heat, and mix in the curry leaves, grated ginger, and green chili and cook for a few seconds.
- Drizzle this spiced oil all this over your oat mixture. You can fold in some of the spiced oil and keep some aside to top. Serve this in a bowl or move the mixed oats to your jars, then add the tempering to the oats and just mix it lightly. Let the jar sit on the counter for at least an hour, so that the oats can soak in the flavors and liquid so that they don't taste too raw. Serve chilled or warm. Or make the jars and refrigerate overnight and serve in the morning. You can refrigerate with the spiced oil or pour the spiced oil just before serving.
- You can serve these as breakfast or snack with papadums or chips or a side with curries Store: refrigerate for upto 3 days. Serve cold or warmed in microwave.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- oats – Use old fashioned or quick cooking oats.
- chia seeds – For extra protein and crunch.
- hot nondairy milk – To hydrate the oats. Use soy-free and/or nut-free, as needed.
- veggies – Fresh carrots and cucumber add a nice, veggie crunch!
- sugar and salt – A touch of salt and the tiniest touch of sweetness brings out the flavors in the veggies and contrasts with the tempering.
- tempering /Spiced oil- Mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, and green chili crisped in a little bit of oil bring South Indian flavors to these savory oats. You can find fresh curry leaves in an Indian store, or dried curry leaves online.
- topping – For extra protein and crunch, sprinkle crushed roasted peanuts or hemp seeds or sesame seeds on top before serving.
Tips
- While the oats and chia seeds soak in the hot, non-dairy milk, prep the veggies. This will save on overall prep time!
- It’s important to get the oil to the proper temperature when you make the tempering, so throw a few mustard seeds in the pan of hot oil. They should sizzle and then pop. If they’re not sizzling, let the oil heat for a bit longer. If they pop instantly, then bump the heat down a bit before testing the oil temperature again.
How to Make Indian Savory Oats
In a bowl, add the oats, chia seeds, and the hot nondairy milk and mix.
Let it sit for the oats to rehydrate, at least 10 minutes, then fold in the rest of the ingredients and veggies under oats.
Set this aside while you make your tempering.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Test that the oil is hot with a few mustard seeds. When the seeds rapidly move and then pop, then the oil is ready. If they pop immediately, then the oil is a bit too hot, so reduce the heat slightly.
When the oil is hot, mix in the rest of the mustard seeds and let them sizzle rapidly for a few seconds. If they’re not sizzling rapidly, continue to cook them until they do start sizzling rapidly.
Switch off the heat, and mix in the curry leaves, grated ginger, and green chili and cook for a few seconds.
Drizzle the tempering all this over your oat mixture. You can fold in some of the tempering and keep some aside to top. Serve this in a bowl or move the mixed oats to your jars, then add the tempering to the oats and just mix it lightly.
Let the jar sit for at least an hour, so that the oats can cook- that is they can soak in the flavors and liquid so that they don’t taste too raw. Then serve as is or with papadums or chips or as a side with a South Indian meal.
Store refrigerated for upto 4 days.
What to Serve with Indian Overnight Oats
You can serve these as breakfast or snack with papadums or chips or a side with Indian spiced veggie curry; cooked beans, chickpeas, and lentil dal or curry; or split pea stew – sambar or as a side a South Indian meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! After mixing and letting them soak for a bit, store these in the refrigerator for upto 4 days, until ready to serve. You can serve them cold, at room temperature, or heat them up.
You can do either! Eat these straight from the fridge or warm them up in the microwave or in a skillet until heated to your liking.
This recipe is gluten-free with certified gluten free oats. It’s nut free, with nut-free nondairy yogurt and nondairy milk. It’s soy-free if you use soy-free yogurt and milk.
Think of these as a cooling dip-type dish. You can serve these as breakfast or snack with papadums or chips or a side with veggie curry; cooked beans, chickpeas curry, or lentil dal or curry; or as a side a South Indian meal.
I don’t use oil at all. Is there anyway to incorporate the flavors of the tadka without using oil? Could you use water or veggie broth? Thank you
See my post on how to cook Indian food without oil.
https://www.veganricha.com/how-to-cook-indian-food-without-oil-oil-free-dal-tadka-recipe/
You can dry toast the seeds then add broth and cook the curry leaves, ginger and chilies
I used coconut oil for the tadka and loved the additional flavor! Next time I might throw a few cashews into the oil… I didn’t have yogurt, so used blended silken tofu and lemon juice instead. Turned out great. I really enjoyed this recipe!
So glad you liked it!!
WOW so innovative, Richa!