Homemade granola

My first foray into baking since we moved to KL.

My beloved aunt was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It was scary before she was diagnosed - she was pale and lethargic for weeks. She saw a few doctors (GP's), all who diagnosed the flu, fatigue, infections, and was prescribed antibiotics, Vitamin C, rest.......you get the idea. Not one of these doctors bothered to take a blood sample and do a simple blood test. In the end the entire situation got so worrying (it got to the point that she could not even stand upright during mass) that she finally managed to wrangle a referral to the local hospital, where she was immediately diagnosed with diabetes and placed in the ICU. Her blood sugar levels were that critical.

Suffice to say, our close-knit family was worried sick, with my aunt having to stay in the hospital for almost two weeks. This also got me realizing how essential simple annual checkups are. My aunt never went for one for years. A simple blood test showing increasing blood sugar levels would have saved a lifetime of insulin shots and ban on her favourite foods.

My apologies if the story sounds tragic. I mean, I wish I could say something else inspired this urge to bake.

When my aunt got discharged of course we all wanted to give her something, not only to celebrate her return but also to try and give her a head-start on her new diet.

I immediately wanted to make granola, but my time in Penang was so short, and for the life of me I couldn't find the right ingredients (the health/organic food fad has not caught on in Penang the way it has in KL, I'm afraid - stingy Penangites) to make it. So I put together a care package of muesli, yoghurt and almonds.

But the thought of making ganola never left me. I scoured the Net for recipes. Now, I've had enough granola eating experience to have a very specific end in mind. Crispy, only slightly sweet and most importantly, clumpy. Not too much oil either. So, tempting as it looked, this was ruled out.

I finally stumbled on the secret to clumpy granola clusters - egg whites. Perfect! All protein and practically no fat. I adapted this recipe slightly, omitting the fruit and coconut. Granola, my friends, is all about the following - baking time and temperature (in my oven, 160 deg C for half an hour for sufficient crispness and to reach a lovely golden brown),and amount of oil (the more oil the crispier).

So here's my adaptation:

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
3 tbsp virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large egg whites
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup natural granulated sugar  (substitute honey, maple syrup,or agave syrup as you wish)

Preheat the oven to 160 deg C. Stir the egg whites, oils and extract in a small bowl. Toss all the dry ingridients together except for the sugar. Mix the wet mixture into the oat mixture and stir until well incorporated. Add the sugar and stir again.

Spread the mixture on a flat tray and use your spatula to flatten the mixture together and ensure that they all stick to one another. Bake for half an hour, until the mixture turns a lovely golden brown. Rotate the tray if necessary.

Cool completely and break into clumps before storing.