Broken Wheat / Dalia Upma

So we were off to Delhi and then Punjab for a couple of days. A trip that promised us a well deserved holiday, travel and loads of fun. Apart from the series of celebrations and the wedding, it was an excitement to explore more of Punjab frontiers that I had never been to. I feel rejuvenated just as I am back from our Delhi Punjab trip. Undoubtedly as it's known for, both stood out to be a thorough gastronomical feast to our ever hungry selves. If Delhi's metro ride seemed ultimate fun and an easy route to curb the traffic, Amritsar's exquisite Golden Temple was a devout treat to our eyes and peace to our reverent soul. While streets of Jalandhar brought similarities to the small town down like Mangalore, what set them apart is probably their difference in culture, language and food. A food that realms under magical addiction of ghee and butter, served with love and passion for relishing and feeding.

North is famous for culinary creations. I was looking forward to the most coveted Amritsar's Temple Langar, supposedly a must visit if you are around this place. Baisakhi brought in huge volume of devotees and the unending queue to visit the temple premises, following the Langar left us disappointed as we couldn't make it. However, right outside the temple, Bhrawan Da Dhaba blew me off with those fresh Laccha Parathas and Tandoori Kulchas, served with a massive dollop of melting butter, a food fit for kings. Being back home feels good. After all that travel, excess indulgence in food and celebrations, it’s a relief to our tummies and rejuvenated selves. Dalia or broken wheat upma that I made back home gave us a respite from all that heavy foodie indulgences we had over the holiday.

Dalia Upma / Broken Wheat Upma

Inspired by Tarla Dalal’s book, Healthy Breakfast
Also available on Tarladalal.com

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup broken wheat /dalia
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 slit green chilli, chopped
1/2 tsp. grated ginger
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 cup carrot cubes
1/4 tsp. mustard seeds
4-5 cashews
2 tsp. oil
Salt to taste

 To Garnish

2 tbsp. chopped coriander
A dash of lime juice

DIRECTIONS

Clean and wash the broken wheat thoroughly. Drain and keep aside. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add the mustard seeds. When they cackle, add the onions, cashews, green chilli, and ginger and sauté till the onions turn translucent. Add the green peas, carrots, broken wheat and salt and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1½ cups of water and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Before serving, add a dash of lime juice to zing the flavors. Garnish with the coriander and serve hot.

While on our journey, a couple of my favorite cookbooks kept me and my little one engaged with their recipes and eye catchy photographs, also my ways to wield travel boredom. This Dalia upma by Tarla Dalal was one of the recipe from that cookbook I am hooked to, ever since it caught my attention. Dalia, a food I always considered was fit for the sick and patients, this recipe changed my perception then on. I make upma very often and using dalia is a good twist to the original upma. I’ve made this umpteen number of times and we all love the way it transforms a boring ingredient to an exotic, healthy breakfast dish.