This might be controversial, but I wanted to put this here because it might be helpful for feeding non-keto family members or for anyone that does carb-ups or just eats low but more liberal carb in general. Mind you, I’m no expert on this, but I’ve been reading about it for a while and wanted to share my discoveries.
When I read of people eating raw oats or quick oats, that makes me cringe. Not only is that gross, but it’s also not good for you to eat uncooked oats (I’m sure many of you would argue that oats are not good for you in general, but prepared properly, they aren’t the worst kind of carbs you could be eating). When you ferment oats, they cook quicker, break down some of the starches and phytic acid (the big bad anti-nutrient of the bunch, reduces the absorption of minerals, and it’s especially high in oats) and they take on a lovely flavour.
So, how does one ferment oats? Well, it’s actually quite simple. Mix together 1 cup oats (I use organic steel cut oats and rinse them before using), 2 cups warm water, and optionally you can add 1 tbsp of something acidic (I usually use some coconut flour sourdough starter to kick start it) in your jar of choice, (I use a 2L pickle jar) and instead of screwing the lid on, take a paper towel or kitchen cloth and secure it to the top of the jar with a rubber band or string. Let it sit for 2 days, 4 days, a week, it depends on your flavour preferences, like with sauerkraut or yogurt.
To cook, I add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the fermented oats (drained of liquid) with maybe a cup or more of liquid (add back in approx. the amount of oats and liquid you took out of the jar so you never run out!). I cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until it is very thick, then remove the porridge from the heat and add 2 to 5 tablespoons of butter and a pinch of salt. If you wanted to preserve the porridge for another day, you could omit the butter (for now, that is!) and add the thick porridge to a greased container and leave it covered in your cupboards to further ferment. A more modern way of mimicking something called “the porridge drawer”, where a large amount of thick porridge would be cooked and stored away in a larded drawer to be eaten throughout the week. Apparently, it was so thick that it could be cut into slabs and fried in butter when a hot meal was desired.
Another way of preparing oats is in the form of sowans, It’s very thick and sour. First, take a jar and fill it with 2/3 cup of oat bran and 1/3 cup of oats (might be good to lightly blend the solids to break them down a bit) and 2 cups of warm water. Stir the mixture around until the oats stop floating, then cover the jar with a cloth secured with a band or string and leave the mixture to ferment for a week. After the week, pour the mixture through a fine sieve, rinsing to make sure you get all the sediment and drain the liquid into a jar. Discard of the solids, or feed them to chickens or pigs. Leave the liquid to settle for a couple of days for the mixture to separate into paste (sowans) and liquid (swats). You can drink the liquid, it’s sour and full of probiotics. You can cook the sowans by using twice as much water as paste, then boiling it until thick and creamy. Serve with, you guessed it, butter.