oatmeal lugaw

My better half woke up earlier this week with a sore throat and fever. Decided to stay home to take care of him. Called our company doctor for medical and food advice. His prescription: aside from the meds, soft diet. Panicked a bit, as I really don't have anything in the pantry that would make soup. Made a quick trip to Mercury Drug and a convenience store for hubby's meds and thankful that I was able to get a few items for soups. Made a quick crab and corn soup from a Knorr pack for breakfast. For lunch, made the Filipino simple and rustic home-cooked sopas with onion, garlic, chicken broth, cut up spaghetti (substitute for macaroni), water, and milk.

For dinner, I saw a pack of oatmeal at Mercury and had an idea which I wanted to try and tried. I wanted to feed him lugaw, congee but didn't want to just order, wanted to cook for him. So with 2 packs of Quaker Oats instant oatmeal, I made lugaw. I really didn't know if it could work, but I knew the consistency of oats and had a feeling it would. Sauteed chopped onions, minced garlic, and minced ginger in a teaspoon of butter and added the 2 packs of oats in the saute. Poured the suggested cups of boiling water (four cups, if I remember correctly, directions on the pack). Simmered. Seasoned with salt.

Still prepared a rice meal for him but he did not eat the rice and chicken asado but finished my oatmeal lugaw. He loved it. Sarap daw! Told him it was oats a few days after when he felt better to go to work.

I wanted to share as I am really amazed that you can make congee out of oatmeal. I think even without fever, here's a simple savory dish that one can make and eat, healthy.

Happy to have discovered that you could make lugaw out of oats but happier that hubby's okay now, no fever. And with the cases of dengue around us, it is such a blessing that the fever's gone. Be safe everyone!