Dalia Upma is a savory broken wheat porridge. It is a quick, effortless, high-protein Indian breakfast recipe. Be sure to watch the video!
Dalia Upma
This wholesome upma often finds its way to my breakfast table. And when it does, I love saving up the last few spoonfuls for my evening snack with a cup of filter coffee.
The whole grains and vegetables make namkeen dalia a nutritious one-pot meal.
About Broken Wheat
Unlike atta (wheat flour) and maida (refined wheat flour), Dalia is whole wheat grains that are pounded or broken down. They include the husk, a viable source of nutrition and fiber. In India, the broken wheat is also known as dalia .
It is commonly used to make a variety of healthy Indian dishes.
Is Dalia good for health?
The fact that Dalia is as close to the natural form of the grain as possible makes it a much healthier option than other types of wheat by-products.
Dalia is, however, not gluten-free . Many nutritionists recommend incorporating dalia into daily meals as replacements for rice or roti because:
- Has a low Glycemic Index – great for people with diabetes or for anyone trying to consume lesser carbohydrate
- Higher protein content – This also means this takes longer to break down and release glucose, thereby preventing insulin spikes in one’s system.
- High in fiber, one stays fuller for a more extended period.
- Perfect weight-loss food because of the above reasons
- Helps digestion and prevents constipation
Broken Wheat or Dalia
How To Cook Dalia (Broken Wheat)?
Dalia doesn’t need to be washed or run under water before use but can be directly added to the pan. The possibilities when cooking dalia are endless. One can prepare khichdi , sweet porridge , kheer, or pulao using the broken wheat.
Sometimes, I simply pressure cook broken wheat with salt to taste and eat it with dal and sabzi instead of rice for lunch.
Because of its high fiber content, a much less quantity of dalia is required to keep me full throughout the day than rice.
Tips To Make Fluffy Dalia Upma
Use pre-roasted dalia for this upma recipe, or dry roast the broken wheat before using it (similar to roasting sooji rava before using).
When made in a pressure cooker, I keep the broken wheat and water ration as 1:1.5 to get the perfect consistency of upma – every single time! If you are using 1 Cup of broken wheat, add water approximately 1.5 cups.
One or two whistles over medium heat are sufficient to cook the vegetables and the broken wheat.
Allow the steam to release naturally from the pressure cooker. Once you open the lid, gently fluff the upma using a fork and allow it to rest for 3 – 5 minutes before serving.
Add a dash of lemon juice or a teaspoon of ghee before serving the dish for a delicious flavor.
Vegetable Dalia Upma
Serving Suggestion
You can serve dalia upma for breakfast with green mint chutney or coconut chutney . It is a fulfilling dish that does not require side dishes.
Store the leftover dalia upma in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days. Reheat in a microwave or pan before serving.
Watch Upma Video
More Indian Breakfast Recipes
Rava Upma
Methi Paratha
Moong Dal Cheela
Matar Upma (Ghugni)
Matar Poha (Chura Matar)
Vermicelli (Semiya) Upma
Matar (Peas) Ka Paratha
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup dalia (broken wheat)
- ▢ 1 Cup finely chopped onion
- ▢ ¼ Cup green peas (matar)
- ▢ ¼ Cup finely chopped carrot
- ▢ ¼ Cup finely chopped green beans
- ▢ 1 tablespoon peanut
- ▢ 1 tablespoon cashews, sliced
- ▢ 1 – 2 green chili, chopped
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ Juice of 1 lemon
- ▢ 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- ▢ 1.5 Cup water
Instructions
- Dry roast dalia over low heat for 3 – 5 minutes or till aromatic and light brown in color. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- To make dalia upma heat oil in pressure cooker over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot enough add mustard seeds, jeera and wait till seeds start crackling. Then add peanuts, cashews and fry for 10 – 20 seconds.
- Add chopped onion and green chili. Saute over medium heat till onion turn light brown in color.
- Now add the vegetables and saute for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Add broken wheat to the sautéed vegetables. Season with salt, and spices. Stir to evenly combine the seasoning.
- Pour water into the pressure cooker, stir once and close the pressure cooker with the lid. Put the pressure cooker weight on and after two whistles on medium heat turn off the gas stove.
- Let the steam of pressure cooker release on its own. Once steam is released remove the lid to open the pressure cooker. Gently, fluff the upma with a fork.
- Drizzle lemon juice and freshly chopped coriander. Gently mix.
- Serve Dalia Upma warm for breakfast with mint chutney .
Recipe Notes:
- Add any vegetables of your choice or use vegetables that are in season like cauliflower, mushrooms, French beans, potatoes etc.
- You can use pre-roasted broken wheat as well.
- Do not add too much water to cook the upma, it might turn mushy. Add just enough water to immerse the ingredients in the pressure cooker.
Nutrition
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Dalia Upma Recipe
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 Cup dalia (broken wheat)
- 1 Cup finely chopped onion
- ¼ Cup green peas (matar)
- ¼ Cup finely chopped carrot
- ¼ Cup finely chopped green beans
- 1 tablespoon peanut
- 1 tablespoon cashews, sliced
- 1 - 2 green chili, chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1.5 Cup water
Instructions
- Dry roast dalia over low heat for 3 - 5 minutes or till aromatic and light brown in color. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- To make dalia upma heat oil in pressure cooker over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot enough add mustard seeds, jeera and wait till seeds start crackling. Then add peanuts, cashews and fry for 10 - 20 seconds.
- Add chopped onion and green chili. Saute over medium heat till onion turn light brown in color.
- Now add the vegetables and saute for 3 - 5 minutes.
- Add broken wheat to the sautéed vegetables. Season with salt, and spices. Stir to evenly combine the seasoning.
- Pour water into the pressure cooker, stir once and close the pressure cooker with the lid. Put the pressure cooker weight on and after two whistles on medium heat turn off the gas stove.
- Let the steam of pressure cooker release on its own. Once steam is released remove the lid to open the pressure cooker. Gently, fluff the upma with a fork.
- Drizzle lemon juice and freshly chopped coriander. Gently mix.
- Serve Dalia Upma warm for breakfast with mint chutney .
Video
Notes
- Add any vegetables of your choice or use vegetables that are in season like cauliflower, mushrooms, French beans, potatoes etc.
- You can use pre-roasted broken wheat as well.
- Do not add too much water to cook the upma, it might turn mushy. Add just enough water to immerse the ingredients in the pressure cooker.
Nutrition
Dal Khichdi is an Indian lentil and rice one-pot meal. It is wholesome, fulfilling, and gluten-free. Dal Khichdi laced with ghee and served with pickle, and raita is a comforting family favorite meal.
What is Khichdi?
Khichdi is a popular casserole dish from the Indian sub-continent. A combination of lentils and vegetables cooked with rice in one pot to create a wholesome and delicious vegetarian goulash. Like a lentil stew .
A khichdi is super easy to cook and takes less than 30 minutes to get ready. One can quickly cook it in a pressure cooker or an instant pot.
There are many types of khichdi prepared across India. In certain regions, it has a porridge-like consistency whereas, in others, it is cooked like a pulao.
Also, different types of lentils like – yellow moong, pink masoor, toor dal (pigeon peas) along with rice are used to prepare khichdi.
My Love for Dal Khichdi
With the first snowflake, you start craving something warm and comforting. And for me, a humble bowl of dal khichdi does wonders on a cold winter afternoon.
Whenever I cook khichdi in my kitchen, while the pressure cooker fills the background score, my thoughts are transported to my childhood days.
The time when simple pleasures like enjoying a bowl of Dal Khichdi with family would bring a thrill to my Sunday afternoon.
Dal Khichdi evokes so much nostalgia and emotion tied to the roots, it almost overwhelms.
Whenever my pantry is out of stock and there is nothing more left than a tomato or two along with onion and potato. I prepare a comforting bowl of khichdi and everything in life seems so sorted.
Step-By-Step Method
To prepare the Dal Khichdi , first clean, rinse, and soak the lentils and rice together in water for 10 – 15 minutes or so ( image 1 ).
In a pressure cooker heat ghee/cooking oil over medium flame. Add the chopped onion. Stir and saute over medium heat or till the onion becomes golden in color ( image 2 & 3 ).
Add the chopped tomato, spices, salt, and cook the masala till tomatoes break down ( image 4 ).
Drain water from soaked dal and rice. Add diced potato and soaked lentil – rice mix to the pressure cooker. Stir to mix nicely ( image 5 & 6 ).
Add water. Stir to combine. Seal the pressure cooker. Cook dal khichdi over low heat for 1 – 2 whistles. If you are using Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, 6 – 8 minutes is the cooking time.
Once cooking time is over , let the steam release naturally from the pressure cooker.
Meanwhile, prepare the tempering. Heat ghee in a small pan. Add cumin seeds, red chili powder, and whole red chili. Cook for 10 – 20 seconds to infuse flavors into the ghee.
Open the lid of the pressure cooker and pour hot tempering over the khichdi. Mix and serve.
Serving Suggestion
Dal Khichdi is served with a variety of Indian pickles , curd, or raita , fried papad, salad , and dollops of ghee.
There is a food saying prevalent in India, ‘ Khichdi ke chaar yaar – dahi, mooli, ghee, achaar . ‘ It translates as khichdi has four friends – curd, radish, ghee, and pickle, without these a bowl of khichdi is not complete.
More Khichdi Recipes
Oats Khichdi
Masala Khichdi
Chana Dal Khichdi
Sabudana Khichdi
Split Urad Dal Khichdi
Vegetable Dalia Khichdi
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup white rice
- ▢ ¼ Cup yellow moong dal
- ▢ ¼ Cup toor dal (pigeon peas)
- ▢ ¼ Cup pink masoor dal
- ▢ 1 Cup chopped onion
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped tomato
- ▢ 1 Cup potato, cut into cubes
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 2 tablespoon ghee or cooking oil
- ▢ 4 Cup water
Ingredients For Tempering:
- ▢ 2 tablespoon ghee
- ▢ 1 tablespoon jeera (cumin seeds)
- ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 1 – 2 whole red chili
Instructions
- To prepare the Dal Khichdi, first clean, rinse, and soak the lentils and rice together in water for 10 – 15 minutes or so. Set them aside.
- In a pressure cooker heat 2 tablespoons of ghee/cooking oil over medium flame. Add the chopped onion. Stir and saute over medium heat or till the onion becomes golden in color.
- Add the chopped tomato, spices, salt, and cook the masala till tomatoes are mushy.
- Drain water from soaked dal and rice. Add diced potato and soaked lentil – rice mix to the pressure cooker. Stir to mix nicely and fry for a few seconds.
- Add water. Stir to combine. Seal the pressure cooker. Cook dal khichdi over low heat for 1 – 2 whistles. If you are using Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, 6 – 8 minutes is the cooking time.
- Once cooking time is over, turn off the heat. Let the steam release naturally from the pressure cooker.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tempering. Heat ghee in a small pan. Add cumin seeds, red chili powder, and whole red chili. Cook for 10 – 20 seconds to infuse flavors into the ghee.
- Open the lid of the pressure cooker and pour hot tempering over the khichdi. Mix and serve.
- Serve Dal Khichdi warm topped with ghee along with raita, salad, and papad.
Recipe Notes:
- Instant Pot Khichdi: This is an instant pot-friendly recipe. Saute mode 5 minutes. Pressure Cook mode 6 – 8 minutes. Follow the remaining steps as suggested above
- Vegan Khichdi: To make a vegan khichdi use coconut oil or refined oil for cooking instead of ghee. If you skip adding ghee, then dal khichdi is a naturally vegan and gluten-free dish.
- You can use all of three lentils (moon, masoor, and toor) or any of two along with rice to make khichdi.
- Adding potatoes or any other vegetable in the khichdi is optional. The vegetables make it more fulfilling.
- Adjust the quantity of water as per personal preference. I like the little liquid consistency of my khichdi. Hence, 4 Cups of water.
Nutrition
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