Me protec, me attac, but most importantly me need a snac

Granola for this hungry human

I am famished between the hours of morning to 7 PM. It’s a large window where my impulsive food choices kick in. I am still a teenager at heart.

In some cases it’s salami, but mainly it’s Grand Sweets mixture from Chennai. I usually use an unwilling aunt or a coerced baby cousin as a mule to bring this Madras mix to my doorstep.

All the mixture is over in our house, so here is a picture from their website.

But needless to say, these aren’t the healthiest snacks on offer and since I am trying hard(ly) to be a better snacker, I am going to make granola.

I was not much of granola eater till my brother-in-law, R for Rolex, made me some for my birthday. He’s also a super fan of this newsletter so I think it’s time I made something as a tribute to his regular reading.

As an early stage boomer who is a few summers away from 40, he thinks of me AKA an aging millennial as his window into the internet. “Are you sure you’re not Gen Z? You speak internet so fluently.”

Or maybe he thinks I am cool. But I will admit, his granola is pretty damn good. R for Rolex is also fit, thin and into expensive watches, so I feel like this is his secret. I am unfittish, wider than I should be and into HMT watches. The granola is the real separator.

I am going to use a cookbook for this one. How grown up am I? No internet for this one. Full analog. That’s how Gen Z I am.

Here is proof

I used Samin Nosrat’s recipe from her book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. She’s also more famous now thanks to her Netflix show of the same name.

As a graphics journalist, her book is such fun to read. It’s visually one of the more compelling cookbooks I’ve ploughed through. As someone who is attention deficient, it had my undivided attention. If you have the book, turn to page 402 otherwise use this —> Granola Recipe.

Here is what you need. Super basic in prep and cooking.

• 3 cups rolled oats

• 1 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1 cup sunflower seeds

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips

• 1 and a half cups halved pecans (I chopped some almonds and used only half a cup)

• ²⁄₃ cup maple syrup

• ¹⁄₂ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ¹⁄₃ cup brown sugar (I didn’t use this because I felt it was too sweet for my liking)

• 1 tsp sea salt (I went full fancy and used salt from Naoshima Island off the coast of Japan)

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

Get all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add only a teaspoon of salt to this mixture.

Add the oil and maple syrup and mix till everything feels like they have a touch of the Mediterranean and a kiss of the Canadian gold.

Step 2

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Don’t use foil like we did for the bouillon which we know was a BIG mistake. Spread evenly across the paper.

Slide the tray into your oven.

Step 3

Shout loudly at the home pod “HEY SIRI, SET A TIMER FOR 15 MINUTES!!”

Only to be met with “I haven’t heard of this song.”

Somehow figure out a way to set a timer for 15 minutes. And wait faster.

Step 4

After 15 minutes, pull the tray out and give it a stir. You want things to cook evenly. Repeat this process three times. The whole thing should take about 45-50 minutes. It’s hands off, so do other things while you wait.

Remove the granola and season with salt to taste. Let it cool completely and store.

This is a real image

Pull it out when you want to have snack. Dunk it in some milk for breakfast. Take it on a trek. It’s a journey to Japan, Greece and Canada all in one bite for me. Definitely sounds more glamorous than the Grand Sweets store in Adyar.

I am going to make this my office snack to keep the hunger for mixture at bay. Fed me = happy me.

Here is Tarini making a far more aesthetically pleasing version of this granola last year.

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Here are some other snacks I am thinking about making.

• Will try some protein infused bars for all the alleged weight training I am doing

• Some flap jacks for me and myself

Signing off,

H for HMT