Fresh Mango Oatmeal

Never thought that I'd eat such healthy stuff right???

Actually I pretty much like oatmeal...... cooked my way.
When I was pretty much younger, in my early teens, I tried cooking according to the instructions on the packet, and I pretty much hated it. It was too too milky, so thick and yucky. The oatmeal was cloying and overloading for me.

But when I grew up later in my teens, my brother taught me to cook it in a much diluted method, then sweetened with condensed milk. Wow.. that was an eye opener. Truly different. It tasted much like wheat porridge, what we call in Cantonese as Mak Chuk, or in Malay Bubur Gandum/Terigu.

Then when I went into Teacher's Training in JB, I ate breakfast daily because break time was much later and I'll be so so hungry by then, so I made breakfast. It's almost oatmeal daily. Oh if you want to know whether I lose weight by eating oatmeal daily.. hahaha, no I didn't. And I will always try to put in fresh fruits to make it even nicer, strawberries, and bananas usually, because I could buy more and store. But I didn't use condensed milk anymore simply because condensed milk ain't the same stuff that it was when I was a kid, it became condensed filled milk or creamers and they tasted inferior. So I used fresh milk with a bit of sugar.

After the training ended, I was posted to rural oil palm estate where the nearest town was 68km away with nothing insight except oil palms all the way. So, keeping oatmeal in the pantry was a must. And whenever I get back to the estate from KL, I always pass by a large fruit stall. My friends and I always make a point to stop and buy fruits. I think I ate the most fruits during these 2 years I was working there. Mangoes were always the choice fruit to buy when it was in season. Simply because it could keep without referigeration and I definately prefer this than apples or oranges. It was during this time that eating oatmeal with mangoes started. My housemate who doesn't eat oatmeal, was converted after I made this for her. She totally changed her perspective about oatmeal and said it was so good, just like eating sweet soups.

So, here, maybe you'd like to try my way to convert your man or your child into eating oatmeal.
My 2 kids finished these 2 bowls.

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

2 cups water

1/2 cup fresh milk (if you are making this for your kid, you can use your child's milk formula, dissolved with some water)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup diced mangoes or more

Put water and oats into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low, lid off and simmer for 5 minutes. Put in milk and sugar. Turn off heat and put into serving bowls. Top with diced mangoes.
Simply divine.

I used much lesser milk than traditional oatmeals and I find this just nice. Enough to make it creamy but not too much to make it cloying.

*Please note that the simmering time will affect the texture of the oatmeal. The longer you simmer it, the smoother it becomes and thicker it will be. And it thickens further when it cools down. So better gauge your consistency preference. The amount of liquids I use here is just right for me.

You may use strawberries, but it may be tart, so feel free to add in more sugar. Bananas are nice to go with this, and it is sweet and fragrant. Blueberries will be nice and slightly cooking it will bring out a nice colour from the skin.

To non oatmeal eaters, I dare you to try this.