Dalia Upma

Dalia Upma recipe is ideal for breakfast. This is a balanced recipe and gives you the correct amount of energy and nutrition to kick-start your day. Upma is a staple dish for breakfast in India. It is healthy and filling and rich in fibre and low in calories. Upma, in India, is traditionally cooked with semolina. But nowadays, there are many variations available. One of them is dalia upma.

What is Dalia?

Dalia is made up of grains of whole wheat. It is an excellent alternative to refined carbohydrates. The husk in the dalia makes it super rich in fibre. Dishes made with dalia are ideal for weight loss and is a great choice for people searching for alternative carbohydrate types.

Ingredients of Dalia Upma:

• Dalia-2 cups
• Carrots-1 chopped
• Cauliflower- 6 -7 small sized florets.
• Capsicum-Half, chopped
• Sweet corn
• Green Peas
• Green Chilli-1(optional)
• Lime-One wedge
• Onion-2 chopped
• Salt-To taste
• Oil/ Ghee for cooking

Tadka or tempering ingredients of Dalia Upma:

• Asafoetida or Hing- Half Teaspoon
• Dry Red Chilli-1 whole
• Peanuts- A handful
• Curry Leaves-A handful
• Ginger- Half an inch, finely chopped
• Mustard Seed- Half teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds- Half teaspoon
• Turmeric-A pinch

For garnishing-

Coriander-Finely chopped

Process:

• Boil the dalia with a pinch of turmeric on a pressure cooker with one whistle. Strain the dalia with a strainer and keep it aside.
• Take all the vegetables(apart from ginger, green chilli, lemon and onion) and steam them for about 2 minutes. After steaming, put them in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process.

Tempering process-

• On a wok, add vegetable oil. I have used rice bran oil for this. I have added 2 teaspoons of oil.
• As soon as the oil heats up, add mustard seed and cumin seeds and wait for the oil to get flavoured.
• Now, add the dry red chilli and asafoetida or hing.
• Add curry leaves and green chilli.
• You should add the ginger after this.

The oil is flavoured and now the rest of the cooking will be done.

Cooking Method-

• Once the ginger turns slightly golden brown, add the peanuts and onions.
• Saute them all together until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
• The peanuts should not burn.
• Add the steamed vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.
• You have to add salt and mix it well.
• Add the cooked dalia and mix it with the vegetables.
• After closing the flame, add the juice of the lemon and mix it.
• Lastly, garnish the upma with chopped coriander.

How to serve Dalia Upma:

The dish is served for breakfast. You can serve the dish alone or with coconut chutney. This dish is easy to cook and it takes about  15 to 20 minutes time from assembling, preparing, chopping and cooking and is served hot. I hope you will enjoy this simple yet tasty recipe as much as I do.