The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

While there are endless healthy options for breakfast, one of the most disliked by Cairo’s mainstream crowds is oatmeal with all its shapes and forms. Oatmeal has been wrongfully stigmatised as a boring dish, mainly because many mistake it to be bland and flavourless. However, oatmeal can be counted as one of the creative dishes that you can customise and play around with by using different ingredients. 

Because of its high nutritional value, oatmeal has become more popular, and many try to spin the traditional recipes into ones that you can even have for dessert! To kickstart your day with a major health boost, this dish is a viable go-to. Its many benefits include lowering your blood sugar and bad cholesterol, improving gut health, and integrating antioxidants. To get the most out of the healthy dish, it is best to start with plain rolled oats to avoid the unnecessary added sugar that comes with ready-made sachets. There are quite a few ways to prepare oatmeal, and we have the perfect list to guide you through the process! 

Fruit

While it is basic, it’s the first milestone that you have to cross before you jump into the world of oatmeal. By basic, we mean just plain rolled oats, milk of choice, no water, and fruit toppings, which are usually strawberries, bananas, dates, or apples. To sweeten the oats, we recommend you either use honey or pure maple syrup and avoid using sugar as much as you can so you don’t ruin the dish’s nutritional value. To spice it up a bit, you can add cinnamon as well—it’ll end up tasting like pie! 

Cheesecake 

This is where we take a creative turn, so much so that you won’t be able to recognise the dish as oatmeal. One of the great qualities about oatmeal is how it can shapeshift into dessert, one of which is cheesecake—but make it healthy! All you need to use is Greek yoghurt, maple syrup, oats, milk and a little bit of cream cheese. The best way to indulge in this recipe is to mix everything together and leave it overnight. Next morning, you’ll wake up to the creamiest texture and all the nutritional value you can get. 

Tiramisu and Cinnamon roll

Another great way to integrate unorthodox ingredients into your oatmeal dish is by adding espresso and cocoa powder to make a nutritious tiramisu bowl with half the calories. Just like the cheesecake oatmeal, this dish needs similar ingredients like Greek yoghurt and cream cheese, but you’ll need to add cinnamon to make delicious cinnamon roll-themed oats! 

Chocolate and Nut Butter

If you’re more of a chocolate lover, chocolate and peanut butter (or any nut butter of choice) is the perfect mix for those who have a sweet tooth and like dessert for breakfast. So, skip the pastry and make yourself a hot chocolate and peanut butter-baked oat! For this, you’ll need to finely grind or blend the oats and add your basic ingredients before including a dollop of chocolate and peanut butter in the middle. Then, you just let it bake and watch the magic happen! 

Persimmon

Persimmons, or more precisely “kaka ya baba”, can enhance your oatmeal game and add natural sweetness to the dish, so you don’t need to sweeten it more. Native to China, persimmon is an incredibly sweet fruit that’s almost jam-like when it’s fully ripe. For this dish, you can add persimmons atop your basic oatmeal and enjoy!