Farofa de Aveia, Toasted Oat Farofa
Farofa is the crunchy, savory rubble that Brazilians scatter over rice, beans, and stews, traditionally toasted cassava flour cooked in butter or oil. Cassava flour is a refined starch and the butter is off the table, so this version rebuilds the idea on rolled oats. Toasted hard in a dry pan with onion, garlic, and grated carrot, the oats turn sandy and golden and take on the same crumbly texture, while keeping the fiber and the whole grain. The one rule is patience at the pan: the aromatics have to cook completely dry, then the oats have to toast until they are truly crisp, or the farofa goes soft. Black pepper and the sweet carrot mean it needs no salt.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Rolled oats
- 1 Yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Carrot, grated
- 3 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 Scallions, sliced
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, ground
Method
- Sweat the onion, garlic, and grated carrot in a dry or barely-wet skillet over medium heat until the onion is soft and the pan is dry again, about 6 minutes. Let the moisture cook off completely, because farofa has to end up dry and loose.
- Add the oats and turn the heat up. Toast, stirring almost constantly, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the oats are deep golden, smell like toast, and the whole mix is sandy and crunchy. This toasting is the entire point: it turns soft oats into the crumbly, nutty texture farofa is prized for.
- Off the heat, fold in the parsley, scallion, and black pepper.
- Taste for crunch, not salt: the toasted grain, sweet carrot, and pepper carry it. Scatter over rice and beans, or over a bowl of stew, where it drinks up the juices without going soggy.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 130 calories, 4 g protein, 3 g fiber, 15 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
