Dalia Upma(Broken wheat upma - a healthy snack/breakfast))

This is my first breakfast or snack recipe in this blog. Today, I am sharing a healthy and tasty recipe using Dalia or broken wheat or bulgar wheat. In Bengali kitchen, it was not widely used. But nowadays, it has made its entry because of its health benefits.

What is Broken wheat/bulgar wheat/Dalia?

Broken wheat is a form of wheat that has been made by milling the wheat coarsely after cleaning and husking it. It is then processed to the size that is required. This is a nutritious form of eating wheat as it is not refined and does not loose out on any of the nutrients that are present in whole wheat. It is a good source of the daily requirement of fiber and manganese in your food.

Health benefits of Broken wheat :

• It is especially good for those who are suffering from diabetes as it is a complex carbohydrate.
• It is a source of complex carbohydrates which provide energy to the human body. The fiber content in it is helpful to the digestive system and helps to clean it out.
• Broken wheat like all wheat products has amino acids which provide protein, but are not a complete protein, so combining this with other sources of proteins like legumes and meats will give you all the proteins that your body requires. However, broken wheat has more protein content in it than corn or rice.
• Wheat is a good source of thiamine which is one of the vitamin Bs and is essential for digestion and for healthy nerves. Another vitamin B content in wheat is Niacin, which helps in assimilating the protein in the body.
• Iron, zinc and riboflavin are also found in wheat which are good for the hemoglobin content in the blood. 
• Minerals like magnesium and selenium which are beneficial to the heart are also present in Bulgar wheat.

Include bulgar wheat in your normal diet to maintain your daily requirement of fiber intake and complex carbohydrates, bulgar wheat is a good source which will also satisfy your taste buds. 

So, this recipe named "Dalia Upma" is a delicious way you can include bokn wheat in your diet. This is eaten as a snack or breakfast dish which is very filling and full of nutrition, perfect for brunch also or kids' afternoon after school snack. I've serve it to my daughter for afternoon snack and she loved it. (BTW, she is a very picky eater)

What is Upma ?

Upma is a South Indian Breakfast dish, generally made with wheat grain or suji, which is known as Rava in South India. Vegetables are also added for more nutrition and taste. It is seasoned with dry red chilli, curry leaves, mustard seeds, Urad and Chana dal. Variety of upmas can be made with thick vermicelli/Semiya (Semiya Upma) or with Broken wheat/Dalia (Dalia Upma)

Ingredients for Dalia Upma : 

Dalia/broken wheat : 1 cup
Vegetables(carrot, potato, green beans, cauliflower, corn, peas) : 1 cup
Raw peanuts : 1/3 cup
Onion(small) : 1(chopped)
Ginger : 1(1" piece-finely chopped)
Green Chilli : 1 or 2(finely chopped)
Tomato(medium) : 1(chopped)
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp.
Salt to taste 
Oil : 2 tblsp.
Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing

For seasoning :

Dry red chilli : 1
Fresh Curry leaves : a handful
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp.
Urad Dal : 1/2 tsp.
Chana Dal : 1/2 tsp.

Method :

• Wash and soak dalia for 1/2 an hour. If using small grained dalia, then cook in hot water for 2-3 minutes. Wait until all water absorbed, keep aside. If using, big grained dalia, then boil in pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles after soaking.
• Chop all the vegetables in small pieces. 
• Heat oil in a pan, fry raw peanuts in medium flame for 3-4 minutes until dark brown. Keep aside. In same oil, fry all the vegetables until tender. Keep them aside.
• In the same oil(add oil if needed), season with seasoning ingredients, lower the heat into medium flame, then season with first dry chilli, then mustard, urad and chana dal and finally curry leaves. Wait Until dals changes their colour, mustard seeds splutter, then add chopped onions.
• When onions get soft and changes colour, add chopped ginger and green chilli. Stir for a minute, then add chopped tomatoes. When tomatoes get soft, add turmeric and red chilli powder, add dalia, vegetables and fried peanuts.
• Now increase the heat to high and mix everything well. Season with salt. Cook for few more minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
• Serve hot and njoy........................

Sending this to Girliechef for her Two for Tuesdays Recipe Blog carnival, Vol 7

& to Pari's event Only Kids' Delight