Broken wheat or more commonly known in India as Dalia/Daliya. It is made from whole wheat grains. Since it does not go through a lot of processing, the nutritional value offered is quite high.
Daliya is a popular option in our Indian kitchens. One of the ways I have seen it being used most is Daliya or Broken wheat porridge which is prepared with milk and Daliya. This is generally consumed with sugar or honey i.e. on the sweeter side. It is preferred as a breakfast option. This was a staple dish at my grandparents' for breakfast as far along I can recall. There would be a couple of things for breakfast prepared, but one dish that remained constant was a bowl of Daliya porridge which used to be the starter course of our breakfast followed by other dishes.
Broken wheat by itself is pretty bland and probably the reason that it goes well in sweet as well savory options. Also, the texture of broken wheat once cooked is quite good as it has some bite to it after cooking too. Apart from all this, it quite a nutritious option to have for a meal.
Daliya for a quite a few years now has been used as both a sweet as well a savory dish. I have here a savory version of broken wheat or as I like to call it Masala Broken Wheat. This recipe calls use of no oil.
Here is the easy and quick recipe of Masala Broken Wheat/Daliya without oil:
Phase 1 - Prep:
- Clean and dice 1 onion, 1 potato, 1 tomato, 1 carrot, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4th tsp of ginger and 1 green chilli
- Keep a handful of green peas aside too
- Rinse and strain 1 cup of broken wheat/Daliya with water
Phase 2 - Cooking:
- Take a pressure cooker and add all the diced vegetables, green peas and broken wheat/Daliya to it and turn on the heat
- Add 4 cups of water, pinch of red chilli powder, black pepper powder and salt to taste
- Close the lid and let it cook for 2-3 whistles or 10-15 mins
Phase 3 - Finishing it up:
- Open up the pressure cooker once the pressure has released
- Check if the broken wheat/daliya has cooked (it should be soft to chew). The cooking time could vary based on the type of broken wheat being used.
- Adjust the consistency with water
- Taste for the spices and salt and adjust accordingly
- Garnish with some chopped up coriander
And that's it!
You could add many more vegetables of your choice such as cauliflower, bell peppers, beans, etc.
I like it with some more black pepper powder especially during the winters. It is our family's one of the go-to comfort and delicious foods. Quite a lot of times it is our dinner meal too.
Do give this a try!
