Savory Oatmeal — Every Grain Is a Penny, and I’ve Got Plenty

New Year's. 2017. I'm not big on resolutions because I've broken every one I've ever made except the one that mattered, which was to stop drinking, and that wasn't a resolution — that was survival. But I'll set some intentions: cook more with Emma. She's interested and willing and I need to feed that while it lasts. Teach Tyler to smoke a brisket start to finish by himself. Get Lily to eat something with fish sauce in it voluntarily. Keep showing up for Ma. Keep going to meetings. Keep the smoker clean. Keep the fire tended. New Year's Eve was quiet. The kids and I stayed in — Tyler wanted to go to a friend's party and I said no because he's fourteen and New Year's parties at fourteen-year-olds' houses are where bad decisions are born. He was furious. He said, "You don't trust me." I said, "I trust you. I don't trust the situation." He didn't understand the distinction. He will someday. Emma made popcorn and we watched the ball drop on TV. Lily fell asleep at 10:30. Tyler sulked for an hour and then joined us on the couch at 11:45 because even an angry teenager can't resist the gravitational pull of a countdown. At midnight I cracked a La Croix. The kids had sparkling cider. Tyler clinked his glass against mine and said, "Happy New Year, Dad." He was still mad but he said it. That's the kid in a nutshell — mad but present. Mad but showing up. He's more like me than either of us is comfortable with. New Year's Day cooking: hoppin' john. Black-eyed peas with rice, a Southern tradition for good luck. I make mine with a Vietnamese twist — I add lemongrass to the broth, use fish sauce instead of salt, and serve it with pickled mustard greens instead of the traditional collards. Mr. Clarence used to make hoppin' john on New Year's Day and he'd say, "Every pea is a penny, Bobby. Eat enough and you'll be rich." I'm not rich. But I've eaten a lot of black-eyed peas and I've got three kids and a smoker and a mother who makes pho every Saturday, and if that's not wealth, I don't know what is. Back to work tomorrow. The holidays are over. The routine returns. I'm ready for it. Routine is what keeps me upright. Without structure, I drift. With it, I build. That's not just about sobriety — it's about everything. The alarm at 5:30. The coffee at 5:35. The smoker check at 6:00. The drive to work at 7:30. The meetings on Tuesday. The pho at Ma's on Saturday. The rhythm of a life that works. 2017. Let's go.

Mr. Clarence’s voice was in my head all morning — every pea is a penny, Bobby — and I couldn’t let the day pass without something warm and grain-based on the stove, something that honored that tradition even if I’m working with what I’ve got. This savory oatmeal is what I landed on: cooked in lemongrass broth, finished with fish sauce instead of salt, and topped with pickled mustard greens the way Ma would do it — the South and Vietnam in one bowl, which is pretty much the story of my whole kitchen. Tyler clinked his glass at midnight and showed up even when he didn’t want to, and this is me doing the same: showing up, tending the fire, eating my pennies.

Savory Oatmeal

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups steel-cut oats
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 2 cups water
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 4 soft-boiled eggs, halved
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pickled mustard greens, roughly chopped (store-bought or homemade)
• 2 tablespoons crispy fried shallots
• Chili oil or sambal oelek, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Build the broth. Combine chicken broth, water, and lemongrass in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes to infuse. Remove and discard lemongrass stalks.
2. Cook the oats. Add steel-cut oats to the lemongrass broth and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15–18 minutes until oats are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid. If they tighten up too fast, add water 1/4 cup at a time.
3. Season. Remove from heat and stir in fish sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Taste and adjust — fish sauce is your salt here, so go by flavor, not measurement.
4. Soft-boil the eggs. While oats cook, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Lower eggs in gently and cook exactly 7 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath, peel, and halve lengthwise.
5. Assemble. Divide oatmeal into four bowls. Top each with two egg halves, a small pile of pickled mustard greens, a scatter of scallions, and a pinch of crispy shallots. Finish with a drizzle of chili oil if you want the heat.
6. Serve immediately. Savory oatmeal firms up fast — eat it while it’s loose and warm. This one doesn’t wait.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 14g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 41g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 720mg