Dalia Recipe (Daliya Khichdi)
Dalia or Daliya is a healthy Indian porridge made with broken wheat or cracked wheat. It can be savory or sweet. The savory, light, nutritious porridge is called Dalia Khichdi and is a one pot dish made with cracked wheat, mixed vegetables, herbs and a few spices. This dish is often prepared as a comfort food since it is easy and light to digest.
Servings: 2
Calories: 437kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup dalia (broken wheat or cracked wheat)
- ⅓ cup onions - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger - finely chopped
- ½ to 1 teaspoon green chilies - finely chopped
- ½ cup tomatoes - finely chopped
- ½ cup carrots - chopped
- ½ cup potatoes - chopped
- ½ cup green peas - fresh or frozen
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon oil or ghee (clarified butter)
- salt as required
Instructions
Prep Dalia & Veggies
- In a fine strainer, take the dalia or broken wheat. Gently rinse under running water a few times and set aside.
- Rinse and chop the vegetables in small cubes. Set aside.
- Finely chop the onions, tomatoes, ginger and green chillies.
Make Daliya Khichdi
- Heat oil or ghee in a 3-litre stovetop pressure cooker.
- Keep the heat to medium-low. Splutter the cumin seeds first in the hot oil.
- Add the chopped onions and sauté until they soften and become translucent on medium-low to medium heat.
- Now add finely chopped ginger and green chillies. On a low heat sauté for some seconds or until the aroma of ginger disappears.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for a minute.
- Next add the chopped potatoes, chopped carrots and green peas (fresh or frozen).
- Mix and sauté for 2 minutes on low to medium-low heat.
- Rinse the dalia and add to the veggies in the pressure cooker. Stir and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on a low heat.
- Add 4 cups water and salt according to taste. Mix again.
- Pressure cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 whistles (or 11 to 13 minutes) or until the dalia has softened and cooked thoroughly. Time taken to cook will vary depending upon the quality of dalia.
- When the pressure drops naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid of the cooker. Check whether the daliya has softened and cooked really well.
- If the daliya is undercooked, then add some more water and pressure cook for a few whistles more or cook without the lid till they are softened and you get a porridge like consistency.
Serving Suggestions
- Pour the Daliya Khichdi in bowls. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot or warm.
- Drizzle some ghee or lemon juice on the dalia if you prefer.
- Serve with a side of curd (yogurt), a simple raita, roasted papad or an Indian pickle.
Notes
- Ensure to use a finer or medium-fine variety of broken wheat. Finer granules make for a nice soft khichdi with a consistency like that of a porridge.
- I do not add turmeric powder, but you could add about ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder.
- You could add some yellow moong lentils (husked and split) to add some protein in the dalia.
- Add a variety of vegetables to make a healthy and nutritious one pot dalia khichdi. Some choices are green peas, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, spinach, bell peppers, bottle gourd, broccoli, pumpkin.
- This recipe with the amount of water added for 1 cup of dalia, makes for a soft porridge like consistency. For a more thin and loose consistency, add more water.
- You could use bulgur wheat instead of cracked wheat.
Nutrition
Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 864mg | Potassium: 933mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 6150IU | Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 1mg | Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 1mg | Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 2mg | Vitamin B6: 1mg | Vitamin C: 47mg | Vitamin E: 4mg | Vitamin K: 20µg | Calcium: 69mg | Vitamin B9 (Folate): 58µg | Iron: 4mg | Magnesium: 49mg | Phosphorus: 349mg | Zinc: 1mg
